


divinity in his veins

by HeavenlyDusk



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Gods, Magic, Sort Of, i honestly don't know what the hell i'm doing, nana's family has the sight and nobody knows what to make of it, technically speaking god is agender here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-03-12 15:04:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 54,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavenlyDusk/pseuds/HeavenlyDusk
Summary: Where Nana's family has history and power in their blood, and Tsuna is destined for great things.(Tsuna has a god whispering in his ears and a fate meant to change the world. Becoming involved in the mafia is only natural)





	1. videndum

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like this idea is too close to other things I've read... Also, how do you people tag things?
> 
> So originally I meant to use this idea of a god for DCU's Jason Todd, post-Lazarus Pit, but then I realized I already had an idea that could substitute for that and discarded it. Then I realized I haven't written a KHR fic yet (and trust me, I have tons unfinished) and I brought this back--Vongola style.  
> For now this is gen, but that might change. I love 1827 sooo......
> 
> I hate writing chapters less than 3000 words AT MOST, so this was painful for me, but hhhh I feel like this story will flow better with shorter chapters. I think I sort of changed my writing style for this actually??  
> Anyway, please enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nana knows her son is special, and that's not just because she's his mother.

_i._

Tsunayoshi is born seeing the wings on his mother’s back and the destinies of the people around him. He reaches out to Nana and pets the air at her back, cooing quietly instead of crying as most babies do. Nana giggles and rubs her cheek to his.

“You’re a very special boy, Tsu-kun,” she whispers, though he has yet to be named. (His name has already been chosen—not by Sawada Iemitsu, but by the universe, and she knows it)

“He’s so cute,” Iemitsu whispers, eyes practically sparkling. His presence startles Tsunayoshi. “I want to hold him.” He holds out his arms. Nana looks at the sputtering flame above his head and reluctantly hands her son to him.

(Tsunayoshi is not Iemitsu’s son. The world does not speak to her, but she can tell by the flame. It had been vibrant, once. It had drawn her in before, but now it’s dying and she knows Tsunayoshi is hers and only hers)

Tsunayoshi looks up at the strange man who has picked him up. His eyes are drawn to the flame and Nana knows he can feel the _wrong_ and the _danger_ and he begins to cry.

“Oh, Tsu-kun.” Nana sighs. Iemitsu tries frantically to quiet him, to no avail. She gestures for him to give him back. As soon as he returns to her arms, he quiets. He sniffles and looks at her with watery eyes. Then he smiles and coos again.

“He’s a Mama’s boy!” Iemitsu laughs. “Ah, well. There’s plenty of time for him to warm up to me.” Nana giggles and nods and says nothing about the truth that she knows.

(And two weeks later, Iemitsu is pressing a kiss to her forehead with a luggage at his side. Apologies pass his lips and he promises to call and Nana pretends to believe him)

 

_ii._

“Once upon a time,” Nana says, “there was a voice. That voice… was lonely. The only thing that surrounded them was vast, empty space. And then the voice had an idea: they should create. They didn’t create just anything—they created _worlds._ They made planets and universes and filled them with stars and people and animals and creatures.

“The worlds did well in the beginning. The voice, the Creator, watched and loved their creations. When one of them died, they welcomed each fallen into their arms in the Afterlife. But as time passed, their creations began to change. The Creator watched as bias and prejudice began to become the norm—humans were divided into _man_ and _woman_ , _superior_ and _inferior_.

“The Creator had not intended for their creations to turn on each other as so. They had wanted to create worlds of love, of happiness and family. They were their children—they hated to see their children become beings of hate. And so they chose select individuals to earn their favor. Those individuals would have the power to see what they saw; they would get glimpses of the future, see the Marks on those who will influence the world, and carry out the will of the Creator for the better. Each of them are indicated by the wings on their back, only seen by others like them, and very faintly at that.

“Of those individuals was our family. We have had the Sight since the very beginning. We try to carry out the Creator’s will as best we can, but humans are selfish creatures. They don’t always like to listen, so all we can do is try. I had hoped that you would still be able to _see_ , even though your blood isn’t pure anymore.” Nana smiles, brushing Tsunayoshi’s hair from his eyes. “But now I see that your blood might just be the strongest of all of us.”

Tsunayoshi laughs, bright and innocent. Nana giggles in return. “That’s your story for tonight, Tsu-kun,” she says. “I’ll tell you this story again, when you’re older. Sleep well.” She looks at the fire, bright and orange in his chest and under his skin, for a moment longer, then stands to leave.

As she does, she thinks she can hear a voice—a voice she had only ever heard about in the stories her family had passed on to her.

_(Tsunayoshi will become great. I promise, Himura Nanako)_

_iii._

“Mama.” Tsuna tugs on the skirt of her apron. “Can you hear them too?”

Nana stops. She gently puts the knife down and turns to Tsuna, kneeling to be eye-to-eye with him. At three years old, his eyes already hold the secrets of everything the Creator wishes for him to know. He is serious, old and young all at once.

“Has the Creator begun speaking to you?” she asks quietly, urgently.

Tsuna nods. “They say I can call them Infinity. Can you hear them too?”

Nana laughs, a hysterical giggle that’s both ecstatic and mournful. She had known that Tsuna is meant for great things. She can see it in the flame and his wings and the way the world curls around him as though to hug him.

“No, Tsu-kun,” she says. “No, I cannot hear them. But do you know what that means?” She grins wetly at his look of confusion. “It means that you’re even more special than I thought. I am so, so proud of you.” Tsuna beams, ever happy to receive her praise. She can’t help but hug him.

(But even though he’s special, that does not mean he’s safe. She sees that there is bloodshed in his future and horror that even she, a woman of Namimori and a seer of the Creator, cannot comprehend. She can only hope that the Creator, that Infinity, will keep her son as safe as possible)

 

_iv._

Iemitsu’s return is an honest surprise. His return had been told in the bloody handprint on the doorknob and by the frown on Tsuna’s face, but it’s still a surprise. His Flames—dying and weak—reach out to her as he walks through the door. It is only Infinity’s Sight that allows her to ignore it and keep her own indigo Flame from responding.

(Nana had worried and still worries over what would have happened had she not been one of the Creator’s chosen. Would she have been able to handle the loss of someone like Iemitsu—someone who draws others in and then abandons them when his Boss comes calling?

What might have happened terrifies her, and it is Tsuna calling out to her that warms her again)

Timoteo di Vongola is a man soaked in blood. Nana looks at him and for a moment, all she sees is _red, sin, blood, danger, grab Tsunayoshi, get away, **get away, GET AWAY**._

Then she blinks and there is a kindly old man in front of her again wearing a disarming smile that she doesn’t trust. But she smiles in return and greets him like the normal housewife she’s supposed to be.

“Where’s my Tuna-fishy?” Iemitsu asks, grinning widely. “I’m sure he can’t wait to see his Papa again!”

“Tsu-kun!” Nana calls promptly and turns towards the stairs. “Your Papa and his Boss are here!” Immediately, she hears his footsteps hopping down the steps. He comes to a stop beside her, clutching his stuffed lion club in his arms.

(“Natsu,” he had told her when he saw the animal in a shop. “His name will be Natsu.” He had not been talking about the stuffed animal. Nana bought it anyway, for him to use until the day his true companion would be at his side)

Tsuna looks at his father and Timoteo and she notices the moment he sees the things she did. His eyes are wide, mouth open, and she puts a hand atop his head to disrupt the visions before either men can notice. He blinks.

“Hi,” he mumbles and hides his face in the mane of his lion. Timoteo kneels in front of him, smile still firmly plastered on his face.

“Hello, Tsunayoshi,” he says kindly. “My name is Timoteo di Vongola. I’m your Papa’s Boss, but you can call me _Nonno_. It means ‘Grandfather’ in Italian.”

Bells ring in her ears.

 

_v._

Tsuna plays outside to get away from the _blood, the sinners, the darkness_ and Nana doesn’t blame him. Though he has Infinity in his ears and is sometimes older than he is, he is still a child. He doesn’t yet know how to endure being in the presence of dangerous people.

(The Hibaris are the biggest dangers in Namimori, above even the Yamamotos, but Tsuna is used to them. They are _old, wise, powerful, important, to be respected, loved, cherished, admired_ for all that neither families have the Sight. Iemitsu and Timoteo do not have Infinity’s Blessings. They are Marked in ways that bodes terrible things)

Nana watches him idly from inside the kitchen as she cooks, knowing he wouldn’t need it under normal circumstances. The wind is cold and biting and telling her that something will happen outside and she should be wary.

The bells begin ringing again, ominous and foreboding when Tsuna climbs the tree in the backyard and Iemitsu and Timoteo go outside. Tsuna knocks the ball out of the branches where it had become stuck. He’s about to climb back down when the Chihuahua from next door begins barking. He startles and slips and Nana is about to run outside when he catches himself with his Flames.

She relaxes for only a moment before realizing that Iemitsu and Timoteo saw. She sees the look they exchange and then Timoteo approaches Tsuna. His finger lights with a Flame—the same color as Iemitsu’s and Tsuna’s, but duller, not as bright and only barely brighter than Iemitsu’s—and he touches Tsuna’s forehead.

Tsuna collapses. Nana’s eyes water as she realizes the Flame in his chest has been snuffed out.

(Later, Nana bids Iemitsu and Timoteo farewell, giving Iemitsu a kiss and a smile. They don’t even stay long enough for Tsuna to wake, but that’s okay. She can’t stand to have them near her or _her son_ any longer.

As soon as they are out the door, she rushes back to Tsuna’s side on the couch. She clutches his hand and sobs. The warmth, the light, the Flame, is gone. Her son, bright and beautiful and stunning, is _empty_. It’s a foreign feeling and she _hates it_.

It takes fifteen minutes for Nana to regain her composure. She sniffs and stands, wiping her face with a tissue before heading to the phone. She has not dialed the number in some time, but she remembers it by heart. Her family had made sure of that.

A click. “ _Ciao._ ”

“Uncle? It’s Nanako. I need your help.”)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm I just WONDER who Nana's uncle could POSSIBLY BE.  
> I estimate I'll get to actual anime/manga stuff around chapter 4 or 5. We'll see what I decide to do pre-series.


	2. eviternity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skull was not his name, in the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are there any fans of Durarara here? Because I was looking through some files and apparently I had started writing a story where Masaomi and Tsuna are cousins and as a result, Tsuna spent summers in Ikebukuro and like, by the time Reborn came around, he was so used to Ikebukuro levels of crazy that he just. wasn't surprised by mafia crazy and called up his cousin and was like "hey do u know any mafia guys that can help me out"
> 
> Anyway thank you to everyone who bookmarked and commented and gave kudos! I really appreciate it ahhhh  
> I meant to get this chapter out on Friday to maintain some sort of schedule (don't expect a real schedule tho I'm bad at those) but I also wanted to finish writing chapter three before then. I just finished chapter three today and I have the first section of chapter four written. With how things turned out, Reborn is most likely going to make his appearance in chapter five if I can make a decision on what to do with [redacted]. I have up to _maybe_ the Mukuro arc figured out, but after that, I'm at a total loss. I really need to reread KHR... OTL
> 
> I'm surprised only one person guessed Skull! He was tagged, but honestly, I don't read all of the tags either so I don't blame you. I am... such a Skull fan and idk how that happened but it's a thing. His backstory is, admittedly, pretty weak in the first section but somehow this turned into a longer chapter?? I didn't even mean to do that. Actually-Immortal!Skull for the win.
> 
> Honestly I'm not sure how happy I am with this chapter but??? I wrote it. Here it is. I want to make a quick Skull-is-an-unreliable-narrator warning. Enjoy!

_i._

There was a time when Skull de Mort was not Skull de Mort. His name, his _true_ name, from those years is lost. Few people remember. Those who do whisper it amongst one another, passing it down generations and never once speaking it in his presence.

Before everything—before he began to hear the voice of the _One_ , before he realized his own fate, before he knew what it meant to be so exhausted—he was a warrior. He was a fighter and an authority figure and a prince-that-is-not-a-prince in his own right.

 _He will become a man known through time,_ his friends, his family, his people say as he passes.

(Later, he will think about their words and laugh because _oh_ , they were so right and so wrong at the same time. He is remembered by few and to those few, he is admired. To no one else is he of any importance and how he wishes to have died with his family.

“Is this what you wanted?” he will scream to the sky on a night where no one can hear him.

 _I am sorry. I am so sorry. You have a purpose that is best served in the future, and for that, you mustn’t die yet. I am so sorry,_ murmurs Infinity. He breaks down and sobs and together, they mourn a time lost to history)

He is a young man and a warrior and a prince-not-prince and people _know_ him when he dies young and surrounded by his fellow warriors.

“Go,” he chokes, blood spilling from his lips and his wounds.

“No,” says the other. “No, we must bring you back. Your family, everyone will want to see you. We can get help.”

“If you stay, you will die,” he says because he can hear the enemy returning already. “You must live. Tell—tell everyone—“

He doesn’t need to say it. The others already know. It is with a final squeeze of his hand that they depart. They tell him they will return for his body. He hopes they live long enough to do so.

But when he wakes up, he is still on the field. The moon is high above him. _This is not the afterlife_.

He sits up, body sore but wounds healed. There’s dried blood on him and he is, miraculously, alive. He is dumbfounded, but joyful, until he hears, _You are awake._

“Who is there?” he demands, scrambling for his weapon and looking around frantically.

_I am nowhere, and I am everywhere. Please calm yourself and do not speak aloud. I am limited on time. Your people will come looking for your bodies soon. I will hear you whether or not you speak._

It sounds like witchcraft. He sits, still and tense, and the Creator laughs.

_You may call it witchcraft. You might be correct, or you might not be. That is not important. You are Chosen to see through my eyes and hear my words. From now on, the world is not how you know it._

_Who are you?_ he asks.

_I could be called many things. In your language, I may be called Creator, or Beginning. I am Infinite and Universal. You may call me whatever you wish. But later—your comrades are returning. Tell them nothing._

He hadn’t been planning on telling them anything. He hears their voices emerging from the trees and a grin splits his face when he sees them. They stop and stare and he is soon surrounded by ecstatic comrades welcoming him.

(He will call the voice Infinity, when everybody else is asleep and he is alone with his thoughts. Infinity will send a ripple of approval, and his life will never be the same)

 

_ii._

Skull becomes Skull when he settles in Italy the first time. He is a freelancer of sorts and his family is none. He has lost a family before and he could not bear it if he must do it again. So he keeps to himself, becoming close to no one and doing his jobs with quick, quiet efficiency.

Giotto di Vongola is a man _drenched_ in Infinity’s Blessing. That is the one reason Skull takes notice of him. Above his head is the bright, shining ring of Blessing and in his chest is the bright, burning Flames of Sky. This is a man who is not born with the Sight but is a favorite of Infinity themself. For some time, Skull cannot look at him without fearing that he will become blind.

He watches as Giotto gathers his Guardians—other men who have Infinity’s Blessings, though they do not _burn_ as brightly as he—and Family. He creates a vigilante group that rises in name and power quickly.

 _He is important,_ Infinity tells him, as though he does not already know. _Speak to him._

 _And tell him what?_ Skull asks.

 _That you wish to join. His Family will be important in years to come. Join._ They speak his name, the name that only families of the Sight know, and he is helpless but to comply.

“Giotto di Vongola, yes?” he says, stepping into view of the man and his Guardians. Immediately, he is met with hostility. He curses Infinity silently, and they laugh in return.

“Why do you want to know?” the pink-haired man demands. G, if Skull recalls correctly.

“I wish… to join your group,” he tells them. They watch him, waiting for signs of deceit that he does not give, and then they bring him to be interrogated.

(With them, he learns what a family is again. He becomes an advisor to Giotto himself and a trusted friend to all of the Guardians. He tells them, in years to come, about the Sight and what it means. Asari laughs and tells him that he had known something was up with him. Daemon agrees. Knuckles interrogates him on the Creator. Skull is stunned, and grateful, and he is reminded of what it feels like to _love_ so strongly.

Losing a family once was hard. Losing it twice is like ripping his very heart out. He cannot stand to watch Giotto’s cousin ruin what Giotto had worked so hard for, so he leaves before it can even begin—all while taking the records of his existence with him.

He keeps the name _Skull_ though. It is the name they had known him by. He won’t forsake that)

 

_iii._

All families of the Sight know him. He is _the favored one, the one held above, the man that speaks through the Creator_. He is revered by them as the Creator’s favorite.

(It’s a petty thing to be revered for. He doesn’t wish to be the favorite. All he wants is to be with his families, and yet it is this _gift,_ this _curse_ , that does not allow him to be. Infinity whispers apologies, and mourns once again)

The Himuras are one family of the Sight. He has made it a point to keep track of each family and to visit every so often. The Himuras are a smaller family, having chosen to settle down in small towns in Japan and try to spread their influence there.

Skull does not remember when he came to be close to that family in particular, but it is because of their close relationship that he meets Nanako.

He is visiting the Madame Himura Masuyo, head of the family, when Nanako pokes her head into the room. Her eyes are wide and underneath her skin are Flames of Mist.

“ _Wow_ ,” she says, awed as she looks at him. “You’re Beloved.”

He flinches and Masuyo turns to her daughter with a scowl. “Nanako. Entering a room without permission is rude, as is speaking of the Sight. Please apologize to Skull-sama.”

“Maa, it’s fine, Himura-sama,” Skull tells her, waving a hand. “Kids will be kids. She’s just a child now.” He grins at Nanako. “Hello, Nanako-chan. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Skull.”

Nanako smiles. “I am Himura Nanako. It is nice to meet you too, Skull-sama!”

“Nanako, please return later,” Masuyo tells her. “We’re discussing business at the moment.” Nanako frowns, but nods and skips out of the room.

She catches him outside the door immediately after the meeting and orders him to play with her. Somehow, _impossibly_ , it is through this that she worms her way into his heart. She is energetic and demanding and surrounding her are the vines and roses of _importance_. Himura Nanako is not Blessed, but she is Beloved and she will be vital to the future.

Before he leaves, Skull tells Masuyo to make sure Nanako memorizes his private number—a number used only by those of the Sight. If she calls, he _will_ come.

 

_iv._

He is an _infant_. Skull is a man as old as time itself and he is Infinity’s _favored_ and he has been reduced to a mere _infant_ by a man who believes himself more important than he is.

He had not meant to become involved in the “Strongest Seven.” He had gone to the first meeting because Infinity told him to. Who he met, he didn’t like.

Of the “Strongest Seven”, none had Infinity’s Blessings. They are surrounded by vines of _importance_ , but Skull’s first look at themhas him seeing _sin, red, sorrow, jaded, arrogance_ and Skull knows that they must grow before they will obtain Skull’s favor.

Luce has the ability to see a single _path_ but she is not of the Creator’s Blessed. Though her smile is kind and she hands them cookies, she believes in a single fate and Skull cannot forgive that.

( _How **dare** she assume she knows the will of the Creator? There are multiple **paths** to the future; nothing is set in stone. How **arrogant** of her to believe that she knows what is to come. She is not the Creator; she is a simple child, oblivious to the Creator’s true **will**_.

She, just as everyone else, does not see past Skull’s act. It is then that he decides to want little to do with them)

He does not want to attend the contracted job sent to him and the rest. Infinity sends a hum of approval when he burns the job request and decides not to show, but he is pressured by the others into going. Reborn’s remark, calling him a _coward_ when he knows that something will go wrong, sets off his temper. (What _arrogance_ he has)

 _No, **NO!**_ Infinity screams in his head the further into their job they go. _You must **leave** , Skull! My child! My children! You mustn’t go! **STOP THIS!**_ They scream louder in a language Skull remembers but has not spoken since his first family died. Try as he might to express their will, to say that something is wrong with this mission—

(It’s there, in the wind, in the crumbling rocks, in the birds’ mourning songs, in the sprites whose whispers are prayers)

—they do not listen. They believe they know more than him, who is a civilian while all of them are _killers, sinners, loved and not loved, mafia and military_.

Then they are all turned to infants, to Arcobalenos, and Skull _sees_ in Luce’s eyes that she had known this outcome. He is _angry_ and once he is given the chance, he disappears, whisked away by the wind and the sprites to his private home, Infinity’s cries ringing in his ears.

(Skull laughs, dark and broken and hysterical. There is no such thing as a predetermined fate as Luce believes, and who does this _Checkerface_ —this _Kawahira_ —believe he is? Thorns emerge from that man’s skin, pricking and wounding everyone who comes into contact with him. Skull has a job to do, a purpose to fulfill, and that purpose does not include bowing to the will of a man who does not know the Creator’s words.

Kawahira’s days are numbered)

 

_v._

Skull comes when Nanako calls for him. She may have taken the name of Nana, but to him, she is still Himura Nanako, daughter of Madame Himura Masuyo. Her words had been shaky and her desperation obvious. He wants to know what could have possibly happened to his strong, resilient niece, and who he must kill.

“Uncle,” she says as she opens the door, shoulders dropping in relief. Her eyes are gaunt and red. “I’m so glad you came. Come in. Tsu-kun is in the living room.” She does not mention the curse. Her eyes do not stray to the pacifier, nor to the sputtering Flame within.

“What happened, Nanako-chan?” Skull asks as he walks beside her.

Nanako flinches. Tears well in her eyes and she wipes them quickly. “Tsu-kun… They did something to my Tsu-kun and I just don’t know _what_.” Skull frowns deeply. He has yet to meet Tsunayoshi, but he has seen him while watching over them. The boy is much like his mother and he loves him as he loves her. Whatever has happened will not go uncorrected.

Tsunayoshi sits on the couch, a cup of tea in his hands as he stares blankly at the program playing on the TV. Bruises litter his arms. _Wrong_ echoes around his entire being.

He notices them quickly and smiles when he sees them. “Hi Mama! Is that Skull-oji-sama?” His eyes stray to the pacifier and the small purple Flame restrained by the ropes.

“You can just call me Skull, Tsunayoshi,” Skull tells him. He looks to Nanako with narrowed eyes. “Why is he injured?” His mind instantly turns to bullies or escaped assassinations. Neither are very pleasant possibilities.

“He’s started tripping over himself,” Nanako explains. She sits beside Tsunayoshi and runs a hand through his fluffy hair. “I didn’t want him to go to school while he might continue to injure himself, so I called him in sick. He hasn’t been able to comprehend much very well either. He _sees_ as well as usual, but it’s almost as though he can no longer ignore it when needs must.”

Skull’s frown deepens. The Sight is meant to work as a guidance for the Creator’s will. It is not meant to take them over completely. It’s worrying that Tsunayoshi cannot see past it. He knows from Nanako’s sparse reports that, while he is not the most studious, he maintains good grades and is of average intelligence at worse. Being unable to see past the Sight would no doubt mean trouble.

“Tsunayoshi, can you please look my way?” Skull asks politely. Tsunayoshi complies. His eyes dart to the pacifier, and then above his head, and then to his face. His head tilts.

“That curse reeks of _wrong_ ,” he says. “You’re too good for _wrong_. That’s what the roses say. Your Flame is smothered, your clouds are chained.  You are Infinity’s most Blessed and most _favored_. You shouldn’t be collapsing. You’re _cold_ too. You’re warmer than I am, but not as warm as Mama. You shouldn’t be so _cold_.”

Skull nods absently as Nanako hushes him. “You’re right.” He doesn’t say any more. Instead, he looks at Tsunayoshi’s chest where his Flame should be burning as always and he just barely smothers a gasp. The Flame—the purest Flames of Sky that Skull had ever seen since Giotto—were gone, contained in a prison that only he could see.

“ _Cazzo_!” he swears. He looked to Nanako, already feeling his Flames rise in anger. “Tell me what happened before he became like this.”

She nods. “Iemitsu came to visit with his Boss. I believe his name was Timoteo. Tsu-kun couldn’t stand _seeing_ them, so he was playing outside. His ball got stuck in a tree and he went to get it out, but the dog next door startled him and he fell. Luckily, he caught himself with his Flames, but Timoteo and Iemitsu saw. I don’t… know what happened next, but Timoteo lit his finger up and touched Tsu-kun, knocking him out. That’s when I felt Tsu-kun’s Flame go out.”

“ _Bastardo_!” Skull exclaims. He hops onto the coffee table and paces. “ _Stronzo! Figlio di puttana!_ I can’t believe that... that _idiot_ would do such a thing to an _Active Sky_!”

“What… what did he do, Uncle?”

“He _Sealed Tsunayoshi’s Flames_ ,” Skull hisses. “The consequences wouldn’t be bad if Tsunayoshi weren’t both Active and pure, but since he is, he is essentially unable to move and respond at his normal level. He’s… he’s not _crippled_ but he doesn’t have the average coordination and focus he should have anymore. If he lives with this Seal, he’s going to have a more difficult life than he needs and deserves.”

“Infinity is mad,” Tsunayoshi says. There’s a scowl on his face.

“I know.” Skull can feel their fury under his own skin.

“Is there anything you can do for him?” Nanako asks, holding Tsunayoshi closer to her chest.

“I can try to override the Seal as best I can, but it will take time. I’ll stay here until I can completely erode it.”

“ _Please_. He’s not meant to be this _cold_.” Nanako hugs Tsunayoshi even tighter. Tsunayoshi nods his agreement.

(And somewhere, inside Skull, he hears the promise of retribution, and he doesn’t know if that’s himself or Infinity speaking)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Luce and Kawahira. Tbh I don't actually have much of an opinion on them, but Skull has lived a long time and is pretty bitter. Luce _is_ kind and Kawahira does have the world in his best interests but the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And Skull is immediately biased. He thinks he knows everything but lbr he's old. He's human. He's not infallible.  
>  And of course I do love the Arcobalenos! They're great! But again, Skull is treated like shit by them. Why would he like them? And, well, you gotta admit they probably do need to go through some growth at the time Skull meets them. They're not terribly awful people, but they're mafia.  
> I... have no clue when they were turned into babies so in this fic, it happened soon after he met Nana. Oh, and Skull being part of the original Vongola?? I really like that idea, so I made it so.
> 
> Also, the Creator can't completely interfere with the universes. That's why people with the Sight exist since they can't do anything themself. The future is changeable, as we all know in-universe, and the Creator can see the different paths of the future and thus tries to push Seers into the most, ehhh... preferable direction. That's why they couldn't do anything about Skull's situation.
> 
> Finally, about the sprites: I wasn't sure whether or not magical creatures should be included. I'm kinda thinking Luna Lovegood here but hmmm. So magical creatures, messengers of the Creator, will be present but like. Not important. You're not going to be seeing unicorns and dragons or anything.
> 
> I hope you all didn't hate this chapter! (For some reason I'm really unsure about how this'll be received...) Next one is shorter and we finally have some Tsuna POV! With a certain guest appearance~


	3. nebulous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being cold doesn't come naturally to Tsuna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who lost an entire chapter and ended up having to rewrite it and that's why there was no update last week??? Sigh.
> 
> Anyway, today on "questionable AUs in my KHR folder": in which Tsuna is related to the Addams family. I have a lot of questionable AUs in this folder goddamn. I apparently have about three votes for the DRRR/KHR crossover so I might try to write that someday.
> 
> Finally we get Tsuna's POV! Unfortunately, it's shorter than the last chapter because Tsuna has surprisingly little to say. I have no idea how to write children, much less children that know way too much. I try to think Luna Lovegood.  
> Please enjoy!

_i._

There was never a time when Tsuna did not know that his family was special. He sees the vines surrounding his mother in the night and the omens in the clouds. He can smell the stale blood on the sushi-maker’s person and he has felt the sharp touch of his son’s eyes that say he is made for danger. He knows about the fire within him and the destiny written in the sky. There has never been a time when he does not know the meanings of what he sees. His family, his mother’s family, is Blessed.

There has also never been a time when he did not hear the voice. They have been there, singing lullabies in words he does not know and whispering suggestions in his mind. He remembers the story his mother tells him and asks, _Are you the Creator?_

 _I am,_ the voice responds. _I may also be called Beginning or Eternal. However, long ago I was given a name by my most favored One. You may call me Infinity._

 _Okay,_ Tsuna responds.

He asks his mother if she can hear the Creator too and he worries when she starts to laugh. Then she says, “I’m proud of you” and hugs him and he is proud too.

(Making his mother proud is all he has ever wanted)

 

_ii._

The men—his Papa and Grandfather, or so they say—feel like _secrets, lies, selfish, criminal, immoral_ but also _tired, ancient, astray_ and flames sputter in their chests. Withered magnolias emerge from the old man’s shoulders. Infinity hisses in his ears, the language old and lost but he knows that they are scared for a _path_ that they have seen.

When Tsuna falls and his Flames catch him, the wind tells him to run. He’s disoriented and confused and he is warm until the old man lights his finger and then, he is _cold_. He feels the warmth being sapped— _smothered_ —from him just before everything goes dark.

He’s shivering the moment he wakes up. He is _empty, cold, wrong,_ and the world is _dark, dull, too small, too large, too much_. The vines that say his mother is _special, a catalyst, important_ shine brighter than ever.

“Tsu-kun?” she whispers.

“Mama?” he says. “You’re very bright. The roses are happy. You’re doing well with your job. The Creator is pleased with you.” He pauses as Infinity’s cries echo. “But they’re not very happy right now.  Mama, I’m really _cold_. It’s so cold. Why am I _cold_?” She doesn’t answer. She pulls him into a tight hug instead, sobs wracking her body but no tears coming out.

“Tsu-kun, my uncle is coming to see why you’re… like this,” she tells him. Tsuna does not know this uncle, but he nods.

(Infinity’s cries quiet when they hear. A pleased rumble makes its way through his head)

 

_iii._

Uncle Skull is Blessed. He is _the eternal one, the Creator’s most favored child, wise, ancient, lonely, the one most beloved._ Tsuna is fascinated by the asphodels blooming around him, the ring showering light over his head, the glowing wings tucked on his back, the purple Flame that would be burning if not for the pacifier restraining his form.

“You are loved,” Tsuna says, not for the first time. “Infinity loves you. They are very sorry.” Skull nods like he has the other times Tsuna has said so.

“Tsuna-chan, I’m going to train you,” he says. “I’m going to try and get this Seal off of you so it doesn’t harm you anymore. This will take time though. Can you endure being like this for a while longer?”

Tsuna wonders. Every time he walks outside, he is hit with _whispers of the wind, the pull of destinies intertwining, the secrets in the river, the people who are more than they seem_. Where the Sight was once another part of his vision that he could easily ignore, it is now amplified. After he tripped over nothing for the third time that day—too busy staring at the glowing of Sasagawa Kyoko’s arms in the grocery store—his mother had whisked him away and kept him inside. Even when he was in the house with very little to distract him, he found himself falling over nothing.

It’s hard to function when his every movement is—stunted. Detained. He used to help his mother cook but now he drops the knives and plates. He knows the material in school but now he can’t comprehend any of it as he tries to study. The Sight blocks his vision further and he does not know what to do.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly, “but it’s the only way, right?” Skull nods and smiles.

“I’ll try to crack the Seal now. You’ll probably feel tired after.”

“I’ll make some tea and snacks then,” Nana says. Uncle Skull doesn’t answer as he places a hand on Tsuna’s chest and _pushes_.

 

_iv._

The Sight has only dulled to normal somewhat by the time the next week rolls around. Tsuna isn’t meant to go back to school until at least half of the Seal has rotted away. In the meantime, Uncle Skull has him learning basic self-defense and hand-to-hand. The forced need for his Flames and Skull’s own Flames chips away at the Seal.

On Monday, Tsuna is woken at five. It’s earlier than he would get up for school, but Skull is strict and doesn’t want to waste time.

(Neither does Tsuna. It’s the only reason he doesn’t complain)

Someone knocks on the door around seven. Tsuna doesn’t hear from the backyard. He had managed to feel _warm_ again but then it had disappeared.

“How did I do that?” he asks Skull. “How can I do that again?”

“Flames are about will,” he explains. “It’s different from Infinity’s _will._ You have to will your Flames to life and it’s about… your _resolve_ not to die. You’re still a kid so I don’t want to shoot you…” He frowns. “All you can do is dig and try to find what makes you _burn_.”

“Tsu-kun, someone is here for you,” Nana calls, interrupting their conversation. She stands inside with a boy beside her. Tsuna doesn’t recognize him. His face is serious and angry and when Tsuna glances at Skull, he looks shocked. His eyes, though, are drawn to the purple _roaring_  in the boy’s chest, the _importance_ that sings around him, the violence and the knowledge in his eyes.

He doesn’t have time to say anything when the boy rushes over to attack him. It’s luck that Tsuna is able to dodge. His coordination hasn’t exactly returned, though, and he trips.

(Skull and Nana don’t interfere. They look at the sparks flying between them, purple and orange, and the strings pulling them together and they know that this is important. So they stand, and they watch)

“For skipping school, I’ll _bite you to death_ ,” the boy snarls and attacks again and this time it hits, but it also—

 _Burns_.

Tsuna’s eyes widen. He feels _warm_ again—genuinely warm. He notices the purple and orange sparks surrounding them and the strings in their chests intertwining, _pulling_ their Flames together until they _bloom_. Something clicks inside of him and for the first time since the Seal, his own Flame _burns and glows_ and he stands, taking the boy’s hands in his and staring at him with wide, awed eyes. The boy, stunned, does nothing.

“You’re _beautiful_ ,” he whispers. “Your Flame is an extension of my own. You are meant to be one of _mine_. You are a—“ _leader, meat-eater, strong, carnivorous_ , whispers Infinity, “— _carnivore_. You have a destiny like mine-not-mine. We are One and we are Individual. You are Marked and you are _mine_. The strings say it so.”

(It’s like the red string of fate, where the red string ties soulmates together. It’s an old myth that people like to entertain but scarcely believe in. But, well, it had to come from somewhere, didn’t it?)

The boy—a Hibari, Tsuna finally remembers—narrows his eyes. “What are you saying?” he hisses.

Tsuna tilts his head and listens to Infinity speak. “You are a protector,” he says slowly, speaking words that are not his own. “You will not be held down but neither will you be alone.”

Hibari glares and wrenches his hands out of his grip. He doesn’t seem to want to listen, nor does he understand. _That’s okay,_ Tsuna thinks, because he knows it will only be a matter of time. “Do not skip school any longer, herbivore, or I _will_ be back.” He marches out of the backyard and through the front door.

Tsuna looks at his mother. “Mama, I’m going to go to school tomorrow.” Nana smiles and nods. Skull doesn’t protest.

 

_v._

There are three children of _importance_ in Tsuna’s class.

Sasagawa Kyoko does not burn as brightly, but there’s a soft glow around her that he can’t help but admire. The lights say she is _kind, all-seeing, loved, respectable, will be and is strong._ Her Fire does not burn, but sits, dormant.

Kurokawa Hana is her best friend and her Fire sits dormant too. She does not glow but she is _intelligent, wise, prepared_. The string around her wrist connects to Kyoko. Together, they are _forceful, powerful, intimidating, gigantic_ and Tsuna admires the both of them for it.

Yamamoto Takeshi burns the brightest of all of them. His glow is blue and blinding, but there’s an outline of a mask over his face. The mask cries and cries and Tsuna _hates_ it, can feel that this boy is more than the falsities that others see. _Not yet,_ Infinity whispers before he can approach. _Not yet. Find the Hibari first. He is your first Bonded. Bonds are most important. Not yet._  So, Tsuna says nothing even though the mask is painful and he wants to cry with it.

Tsuna darts out of the classroom once lunch begins. He does not leave for the playground but instead follows the purple trail leading to the roof.

“Hibari-senpai!” he calls, banging the door open. He has to dodge the fist to his head, but it makes him laugh anyway. Hibari’s eyes _burn_ into him as he glares.

“Herbivore,” he growls.

“I found you!” Tsuna says gleefully, drunk off of the _warmth_ that is his-not-his and the feeling of being close with his to-be-Bonded.

“Why are you here?” He tries to hit him again. Tsuna dodges again.

“I told you, you are one of _mine_. And I brought food!” He holds up a bento box and smiles brightly, like Uncle Skull told him to. Hibari regards the box for a moment, then nods.

“You may stay,” he decides. “ _For now_. Do not disturb me.” Tsuna nods quickly and sits a few inches away from him. He watches eagerly as he opens the bento and begins to eat. Hibari pauses, looks at him. He nods his acceptance.

Between them, a lock snaps shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Guardian has arrived! Idk where the "Hibari and Tsuna as childhood friends" trope came from but I'm not complaining. I'm really not. So obviously they needed to be BFFs.  
> A few things of note:
> 
>  **Bonds:** Basically Bonds are just Guardians but not restricted to Flame users. That's. pretty much it. The **red strings of fate** came from people with Sight trying to describe Bonds between people and yeah that's where the legend came from in this AU.
> 
>  **Flowers:** I.... really like flower symbolism so all of the flower references are completely on accident. It just kind of happened.
> 
>  **Tsuna's Behavior:** Ok so it's mentioned during the chapter but Tsuna is pretty much drunk on finding his first Bonded. This wouldn't normally be the case, but Tsuna is _completely sealed off_ from his Flames. That means that, when in the presence of someone who can instinctively push past the Seal rather than force it (like Skull has to), he's kind of hyper from the sudden excess of Flames that can Harmonize with him. (I'm trying too hard to explain this but Tsuna explains it pretty simply in the next chapter)
> 
> Alright, I think that's everything I need to explain! Chapter 4 isn't... technically finished but that's because I figured out what I wanted to do with Yamamoto and the Sasagawas and Hana like twenty minutes before posting this. Reborn will definitely come in on chapter 5, unless you guys want me to take like three more chapters to get to actual series stuff. I, personally, don't like waiting that long.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Jeez why are my notes always so long???


	4. nefelibata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of Kyoya's days as the _secret keeper_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In today's "KHR AU/Crossover Corner": I got back into Kingdom Hearts recently and was looking at some fan art. I ended up mistaking Sora for Tsuna for like fifteen seconds and now I can't get their similarities out of my head. This means I have a reincarnation story opportunity here where Sora is reborn as Tsuna and just totally reshapes the mafia. But then who would be Riku and Roxas and Axel and Namine? I get Xion vibes from Chrome and Kyoko is totally Kairi but I can't figure out anything else. (My love for 1827 makes me want to have Hibari be Riku's reincarnation and have some sort of weird hybrid of their personalities aksdjhfsd)
> 
> So late and super short chapter but I got it done! I wanted to get this in before later today (it's almost 4am and I finished this hours ago but I fell asleep afterwards). I really hated writing this chapter. But not as much as I hated writing the abrupt ending of the next chapter. Sigh.  
> Well, I hope you guys enjoy regardless! Things to understand: this chapter spans over weeks and possibly a few months. There's no concrete timeline, but there's time-skipping between each scene. So despite how abrupt it may seem, I tried my best to make the flow of the relationship make sense.
> 
> Also!! Over 100 bookmarks!! Thank you guys so much!! I really appreciate each and every single on of you for liking this story!

_i._

Hibari Kyoya does not understand Sawada Tsunayoshi. The boy had skipped school for a week when he wasn’t sick, so he had gone to drag him back. He hadn’t expected a mere _herbivore_ to manage to dodge him and then begin rambling on about _strings_ and _Marked_ and _his-not-his_. It’s insane, incomprehensible. Hibari Kyoya belongs to _no one_.

The world as Kyoya knows it is a food chain. He is the carnivore, the one who knows how to fight and survive, and his peers are herbivores. There are, generally, two types of herbivores: the ones who say nothing and cower at everything, and the ones who are too loud and arrogant and need to be knocked down. All herbivores are crowding cowards, too. Kyoya hates crowding.

Sawada Tsunayoshi is neither type and it is _irritating_.

His files say that he has okay grades, better in some classes than others. His athletic ability is nothing to scoff at, but neither is it anything to be praised. He is average, if a bit spacey and sometimes he speaks of things that make no sense, but his teachers all agree that he is a good child in all. He doesn’t tend to talk to his peers, but he will be kind to them if they speak to him.

The Sawada Tsunayoshi that Kyoya knows is excitable. Loud. He seems almost eager to be in Kyoya’s presence as much as possible. He speaks of _Bonds_ and _Infinity_ and _paths_ that make no sense. When Kyoya snaps at him, he will back off so long as he is allowed to stay. And every day, without fail, he brings Kyoya a bento to eat on the rooftop.

(And without realizing it, Kyoya has come to _expect_ the bento every day)

“Herbivore,” Kyoya says after two weeks of eating lunch with Sawada. He pauses. Something about _herbivore_ does not seem to fit right, but what could Sawada be? He is no carnivore, but perhaps he is not an herbivore either, as fearless as he appears to be. “Animal,” he amends for the time being, “what did you mean the day we met?”

“Which part?” Sawada asks, tilting his head reminiscent of a dog.

 _Which part?_ Every part had made no sense. “You spoke of bonds and flames. What does that mean?”

A smile stretches across his face. “Everyone has an inner Fire. Some Flames burn brighter than others, like ours. Yours is purple. It’s very pretty and very _warm_ , especially since I’ve been so _cold_ lately. We are destined to have a great Bond. The first time we touched, I became aware of the strings of Bonds connecting us. Purple and orange. They connected and now our Flames reach for one another when we are near. Skull-san says the term that normal humans use is ‘Harmony.’”

Kyoya narrows his eyes. “Who is Skull? The baby?” The baby had been in the yard when he had stormed in. He reminded him of _that man_ , with eyes too old to be anything other than an adult.

“Skull-san is Mama’s Uncle!” Sawada explains brightly. “Not by blood, though, but it’s easy to call him Uncle. He’s been teaching me about Flames! And working on getting rid of the _cold_.”

“He is not a baby, then.”

His smile fades. He looks _displeased_ , which is not an emotion Kyoya has seen on him yet. “No, he is not. He’s under a very nasty curse. Infinity doesn’t like it, but to break the curse there are certain people we have to find.” Apparently finished speaking, Sawada looks at the sky. He tilts his head. “What a cute bird. Very yellow. It’s so far away…”

Kyoya looks in the same direction. A bird-shaped cloud floats by.

 

_ii._

“Himura Nanako tells me that her son has taken a liking to you,” Hibari Asuka says, staring at him contemplatively.

“Himura?” Kyoya asks.

“Nanako is a Himura before she is a Sawada. Kyoya.” His mother folds her hands together. “The Himura family is… _different_. They are not herbivores but neither are they carnivores. Their strength is in their sight. They are far from the idiots that tend to fill the planet with their useless drivel—they are _interesting_. It would do you well to listen to what Tsunayoshi has to say, even if you do not understand at the time. Nanako has told me many things over the years—she has always been correct. I am told her son is the same.”

“I am still… confused.” He loathes being confused.

“It will be clear when Tsunayoshi makes it known.” She stands and exits the room, finished with the conversation. Kyoya sits, eyebrows furrowed.

(In the other room, Hibari Kazuki joins his wife at the window, and together, they remember the story a young girl with eyes too knowing told them about the creation of the world)

 

_iii._

Kyoya does not fully understand his mother’s words until Sawada approaches him after school weeks later. A rare frown graces his face. “Hibari-senpai,” he says, “a rat is scurrying around the school. It’s planning on spreading its disease.”

“There have been no reports of a rat infestation,” he says, narrowing his eyes.

Sawada shakes his head. “It’s a foreign rat. Very good at hiding its presence, but the smell carries. Mama didn’t want me to come to school in case I get sick. You should find it before the school is infected. It might try destroying the principal’s office next. That’s where the prints lead.”

His mother’s words echo in his mind. She has never led him astray before and Kyoya doubts she would now. He runs Sawada’s message through his head until he understands. His riddles are not so much riddles as they are analogies. “Intruders will not be tolerated in my school,” he growls. “He will be _bitten to death_.” He turns and stalks away.

It takes two days to find the foreigner posing as the librarians’ assistant. He bites the man to death, as promised, then lets his father take care of the rest. Why the man had posed as an assistant remains a mystery—not that Kyoya cares. The _rat_ was snuffed out and that is enough.

“You caught the rat!” Sawada says cheerfully during lunch.

“My mother says your family is special,” Kyoya responds. “Is that how you knew?”

Sawada sways side to side. “Mama did say she was friends with your parents in school. I can tell you the story after school.” Kyoya opens his mouth to demand answers _now_ , when Sawada adds, “I’ll have to skip class otherwise.” Begrudgingly, he complies.

(And afterwards, Kyoya sits on the roof, listening to the creation of the world in the same way his parents had, all those years ago)

 

_iv._

Tsunayoshi begins to calm as the Bond settles. He doesn’t speak as much, content with sitting in silence.

(“There’s a Seal on my Flames that Skull-san has been trying to remove,” he explains when Kyoya comments on his sudden quiet. “When we met, the Bond was not completely, um… _there_. Flames are tied with Bonds, and to make up for being unable to Harmonize naturally, yours began to overwhelm the Seal. It was kind of like… being on a sugar high! Now that we’ve settled, your Flames have settled too, and I’m not as hyper as I was.”

Kyoya wonders about the Seal, but when he asks, Tsunayoshi becomes sad and something about that doesn’t sit right. He doesn’t ask again)

It takes no time for Kyoya to pick up on Tsunayoshi’s quirks as a _seer_. He quickly unravels his riddles about _rivers_ and _importance_ and _will_ and he learns to listen to his vague omens and insights.

So he notices when Tsunayoshi’s eyes begin to _see_ the herbivore named Yamamoto Takeshi. His file describes him as popular, cheerful, but not very bright. He’s an herbivore through and through—nothing like Tsunayoshi with his herbivore-ish tendencies but insightful personality.

“He’s wearing a mask,” Tsunayoshi says. “It’s always crying. I don’t like it.”

It’s not any of Kyoya’s business if someone wants to pretend to be someone they’re not. He can’t say he cares in the first place. A response wouldn’t be worth the effort, and Tsunayoshi doesn’t ask for one.

Lunch ends and Tsunayoshi has a new resolve burning in his eyes. Kyoya has the sinking feeling that he isn’t going to like it.

(The lynx is more trouble than he is worth. Kyoya watches him to make sure he doesn’t do anything reckless.

He doesn’t. Instead, he talks to the Yamamoto boy and gets a weird look and a demand to leave him alone. Tsunayoshi is pushed harshly to the side and just this once, Kyoya meets him outside the school gates to walk him home.

But only because his father would be disappointed in him if he didn’t, of course)

 

_v._

“Oh my,” Asuka says, staring at Tsunayoshi with a smile on her face, “you look so much like Nanako.” Tsunayoshi stares back at her, wide-eyed and awed at something Kyoya cannot see. He looks at Kazuki and the same awe is there too. Sawada Nana and the not-baby called Skull wear matching smirks.

“You’re a very _old, powerful, wise_ family,” Tsunayoshi whispers. “Infinity likes the work you do and they wish to thank you.”

“Infinity?” Kazuki asks, looking to Nana and Skull.

“That’s what the Creator calls themself,” Nana explains. “Tsu-kun, it’s rude not to introduce yourself first.”

“Ah! Right!” Tsunayoshi bows to Kyoya’s parents. “I’m Sawada Tsunayoshi. Thank you for letting me into your home.”

“And you can call me Skull!” Skull adds, grinning from his place on Nana’s shoulder.

“The pleasure is all ours, Tsunayoshi-kun, Skull-san,” Kazuki says warmly. “Do sit down. Would you like some tea?”

Kyoya doesn’t want to be here. He would prefer it if he never had to invite the Sawadas, but his father insisted and his mother wanted a chance to “catch up with her old friend.” Only the promise of a spar with Skull had placated him.

“Fight me,” he says to the infant-not-infant.

“What,” says Skull.

“Not now Kyoya,” his mother tells him. “Wait until we can eat.”

“I want to fight now,” Kyoya insists.

“ _After we eat_.” Everyone knows better than to argue with her when she uses _that tone_. Kyoya begrudgingly sits.

He doesn’t like crowding. Family dinners are okay because it is just him and his parents, but _guests_ make his skin itch. He wants to move, to fight, to do something to get the herbivores to leave. But that’s not allowed. These are people that his parents want around and he doesn’t dare speak against them. He is a carnivore but they are his makers.

So he glares at the wooden table and doesn’t take a single bite of his food.

“Hibari-sama,” Tsunayoshi speaks up in between the adults’ conversation. “May Kyoya-senpai and I eat somewhere else?” Kyoya looks up at him, wary and shocked though he keeps his face schooled into suspicion.

His mother looks at Tsunayoshi with searching eyes. Then she nods. “You may.”

Tsunayoshi beams. He grabs his plate and waits for Kyoya to lead the way out of the room. Neither say a word until they are far from the dining hall

“Lynx,” Kyoya says, refusing to look at him.

“Yes, Hibari-senpai?”

“…That was unnecessary.”

“Your _air_ didn’t like it.” He doesn’t elaborate. Kyoya doesn’t thank him. They both understand.

(He does get his fight in the end. The itch is relieved although he loses. Skull nods his head, grins, and calls him a worthy Guardian for his nephew. Kyoya doesn’t know what that means, but for a split second of looking at Tsunayoshi, he thinks he can see the strings drenched in Flames intertwined between them)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never understood why everyone said Hibari was difficult to write until I started writing in his POV myself. Seriously. How do you Hibari Kyoya???
> 
>  **Nanako, Asuka, and Kazuki:** This won't really be touched on, so I'll explain it here: all three of them went to school together. Nanako admired Hibari Asuka for her strong lineage and the way she took over the school, so she made quick work in being friends with her. Asuka also had a life-ruining crush on the popular yet sort of sad Kazuki and Nanako knew that they would get together, so she forced him to be their friend and proceeded to tell the both of them about the Sight. Thus began the Hibari legacy of being "secret keepers." They all still talk, but not as much because they know Iemitsu would freak out if he knew his "innocent wife" was best friends with an underground princess and her police chief husband.
> 
>  **Lynx:** Tsuna needed a nickname. I wanted the nickname to have magical connotations. "Little animal" just didn't cut it and "lion cub" doesn't work with my version of Tsuna. I was going to go with phoenix, but Tsuna doesn't give me bird vibes. Then I wanted to go with kitsune or fox, but that's more of an "AU!Tsuna" where he, say, has a Mist secondary. According to like 20 minutes of 10am research, it's said that lynxes have keen senses, and in a lot of myths, they see what no one else can. So, lynx.
> 
>  **Yamamoto:** I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with him. If I did have him make friends with Tsuna this early on, then I felt that I would be obligated to bring in Kyoko, Hana, and Ryohei. That just didn't seem to want to work with me and I didn't want to make you guys wait until chapter eight to reach Reborn. So, for now, Tsuna only has Kyoya. The situation that occurred in scene iv will be talked about in chapter 7, but for now all you need to know is this: children are adaptable, yes, but they can also be stubborn and cruel, especially when emotional and faced with something/someone they don't understand.
> 
>  **Scene v:** I wanted to show both families together. Didn't go exactly the way I hoped, but it was also mostly just me wanting Skull to be in there somewhere. I'm awful at fight scenes, but I think the flow of this scene would have been disrupted if I tried anyway? I think this mostly touched base with Kyoya's unwillingness to be around people and Tsuna, realizing this, got him away from the room as soon as possible. I think this is what really cements their relationship in this fic because nobody else, save for his parents, really realizes that crowds make him _very_ uncomfortable and as much as he tries to hide it, it does mean a lot that Tsuna noticed and promptly tried to help.
> 
> Final thought of the evening: Yeah, I'm not entirely sure I did Kyoya justice ^^; I hope the way I wrote Tsuna and Kyoya isn't too rushed??? I tried with the limited space I had. And, uhhh, yeah, the rat was totally an assassin lmao. Sort of a cliche to have Tsuna "sniff him out" (literally) but I'm not that creative. Whoops.  
> That being said, I really do hope you guys enjoyed! (I sound like a YouTuber) Thank you so much for reading and uhh yeah I should really go to bed now!


	5. vagarious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _What is up with Sawada Tsunayoshi?_ Reborn wonders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone wondering what my basic update schedule is: I try to update every weekend. I'm most likely to update on Saturdays and Sundays, but I do try to make Fridays. It usually doesn't work. I'm actually surprised I've managed to make it to five chapters, but watch me give up after chapter 7.
> 
> Reborn has arrived! At long last! This chapter is going to be the start of less metaphysical writing and more, ehh, generalized writing, I suppose??? It's the writing style that's actually harder for me to do.  
> I hope you enjoy though! Jesus why are all of these characters so hard to write?

_i._

The file of Sawada Tsunayoshi describes him as a fourteen year old student attending Namimori Middle School with the nickname of ‘Dame-Tsuna.’ His grades are dreadful, he’s clumsy, and he’s easily spooked. He has no friends to speak of. Sawada Nana, meanwhile, is ditzy, sweet, and innocent. Both are complete civilians.

It’s a truly horrid profile that Sawada Iemitsu put together in between all of the off-hand notes of how “cute!!!” and “so totally adorable!!” his “precious, innocent family” is. Reborn didn’t think he could possibly hate the man any more than he already did. He doesn’t trust him to put together a completely accurate file, so he takes it upon himself to observe the Sawadas before approaching them.

A background check on Nana shows that she comes from an old, but clean family. Her mother, Himura Masuyo, is the head of the family to be succeeded by Nana’s older sister. They aren’t particularly special, though some neighbors describe the family as odd.

Nana herself is a sweet woman. She smiles a lot and has the makings of a Yamato Nadeshiko. A few other parents scorn her for not having a man around the house and having a useless son, but she doesn’t seem to notice or care. Her love and attention is entirely devoted to Tsunayoshi. When she isn’t doing chores or making errands, she tends to stare into space. It’s unnerving to witness.

Tsunayoshi does have awful grades. Much like his mother, he spends more time staring off at nothing rather than paying attention. He trips over himself more often than not, but as “easily spooked” as he is _supposed_ to be, he doesn’t shout and cry as much as Reborn had expected.

(His peers are suspiciously silent whenever they see him make a fool of himself)

Perhaps the most surprising is his lunchtime habit. As soon as class is dismissed for lunch, Tsunayoshi leaves the classroom and heads straight to the roof. The roof is known as the Demon Prefect’s area where no one is allowed, and yet Tsunayoshi approaches with ease. He leaves an extra bento box next to the sleeping Hibari’s head and sits a careful distance away, staring at the sky.

“…The sun shines brighter today,” Tsunayoshi says idly. “There are no clouds blocking it from view. The wind is… still. Calm.”

Hibari Kyoya cracks an eye open. He takes a moment, appearing to ponder his words, before humming and shutting his eye again. “You’re a nuisance.”

Tsunayoshi laughs sheepishly and settles back into silence again.

And then stares directly at Reborn’s hiding place.

(Did he ever mention how much he _hates_ Sawada Iemitsu?)

 

_ii._

When Reborn had put the flyer in the mailbox, he hadn’t expected Nana to say, “Ah, so this is the presence Tsu-kun and Uncle mentioned. I better call the number.” She then smiled, pocketed the flyer, and headed inside.

The problem is this: Nana has no uncle. Himura Masuyo has two younger sisters and her husband was an only child. As far as he knows, there was no male figure in her life old enough and close enough to her to be considered an uncle. There are no other residents in the Sawada household either, nor anyone that either Nana or Tsunayoshi are particularly close to who live nearby. This ‘Uncle’ shouldn’t exist.

(So who had become close enough to Nana that none of the CEDEF agents keeping watch would notice?)

“My name is Reborn. I’m your home tutor,” Reborn says the next evening. Tsunayoshi stares at him.

“Ah,” he says. Doesn’t freak out. If anything, his eyes are calculating. It’s not right. It’s not the reaction he expects from a student who’s supposed to be another Dino Chiavarone. “Mama…”

“The contract says he’ll be staying with us for as long as he chooses to teach you,” Nana says, smiling widely. “He doesn’t have a place to stay, see?”

“But, Mama—“

Reborn kicks him in the stomach. He collapses.

“We’ll start now,” he says. He’s not interested in hearing him argue with his mother. He drags him up to his room.

(He doesn’t notice the frown tugging on Nana’s lips)

 

_iii._

Tsunayoshi groans as he recovers from the kick to his stomach. “What…?” He pats his chest and stares unseeingly at his hands. Then he looks at Reborn. He doesn’t glare. He doesn’t so much as narrow his eyes. His face is frustratingly blank. “What was that for?”

“You should never speak back to your mother,” Reborn says. “I have my work cut out for me.”

“What work?” Tsunayoshi asks. He crisscrosses his legs from where he sits on the floor and straightens his back. His eyes can’t seem to look in one place. They shift, looking at his chest where he hides his pacifier, to somewhere above his head, and then right in his face. “You’re not just a tutor. Mama doesn’t care to get me a home tutor. You’re something different.”

Intuitiveness, Reborn muses, is a good trait. His observation of him had proved that while he wasn’t academically inclined, he was very observant. It was most likely the Hyper Intuition. “You’re right. My true line of work is assassination, and my job is to turn you into a mafia boss.”

Silence.

Tsunayoshi says nothing and simply stares. Or maybe he’s not truly staring; his eyes have become unfocused. After seconds of looking at nothing, his eyes finally clear and he says, “I will not become a mafia boss.”

That response is, at least, expected of a civilian. “You will. The title of boss in the Vongola Family—your Family—is inherited through blood. Vongola Nono, the current boss, has no children able to take on the mantle, as three were killed and the remaining son is incompetent. You, however, are a direct descendant of the first boss of Vongola and so you are the only one who can take over the Family.”

“I will not become a mafia boss,” Tsunayoshi repeats flatly. “That is not the way my _path_ is meant to go. I am meant for something else.” _Path?_

“You have no choice.”

“I always have a choice. Nothing is set in stone. No matter what, I will not become a mafia boss.” His voice is airy. Once again, his eyes begin to drift elsewhere. Reborn gets the sense that Sawada Tsunayoshi might not be all there.

( _What naivetè,_ he scoffs internally. If only the world were so _ideal_ as to give anyone a true choice. The world, and especially the underworld, had no sympathies for anyone. Whether he liked it or not, Tsunayoshi has to become the next Vongola boss. It is his only option. There are no choices in the underworld.

Somehow, he still feels uneasy)

 

_iv._

“I don’t think a tutor is supposed to be following me to school,” Tsunayoshi sighs.

“I’m evaluating you,” Reborn responds.

Tsunayoshi opens his mouth to retort, but abruptly shuts it when he sees someone walking up the path. Sasagawa Kyoko smiles as she sees them and lifts a hand in a wave.

“Good morning, Sawada-kun!” she says cheerfully.

“Good morning, Sasagawa-chan,” Tsunayoshi answers. He tilts his head and his eyes stray to her arms, then her feet, and back to her smile. “You’re as bright as always. It’s nice to see you favor fog over a mask still. Yamamoto-san’s mask worries me, but your fog compliments your light nicely.” Reborn doesn’t know what to make of that. A lot of things make no sense when they come from Tsunayoshi it seems.

To her credit, Kyoko’s smile never falters. “Ah, you’re still on about that I see!” she giggles. Tsunayoshi smiles.

(It’s the first genuine smile to cross his face since Reborn’s arrival. Every interaction with Tsunayoshi has gotten him nothing but shifty eyes and a blank face)

It is then that Kyoko notices Reborn standing at Tsunayoshi’s side. She lets out a gasp and coos as she kneels in front of him. “Aw, who’s this? I didn’t realize you had a little brother.”

That seems to break Tsunayoshi out of whatever trance he had been in. He groans. “He’s not my brother.”

“I am the World’s Greatest Hitman,” Reborn says, knowing he won’t be taken seriously. Tsunayoshi gapes. Kyoko coos again.

“How cool!” she gushes, then stands. “I wish I could stay, but I have to get to school. I’ll see you later, Sawada-kun!” She begins to turn when Tsunayoshi suddenly stiffens and grabs her wrist. She blinks, surprised.

“Don’t let your light be contained by the wooden sword,” he says. “Though it can protect with the right motivation, it has not learned how to take on the shine of steel. It has laid claim on many others but has yet to do more than harm. Be careful who you allow into your light.”

The words themselves don’t seem shocking. Kyoko is visibly unnerved, but not shocked.  “I… will keep that in mind,” she says quietly. “Thank you, Sawada-kun.”

Tsunayoshi suddenly smiles again and steps away. “Sorry about that Sasagawa-chan. See you in school!” Dazed, Kyoko walks away.

Reborn looks at Tsunayoshi with narrowed eyes. “What was that, Dame-Tsuna?”

The nickname doesn’t get the reaction he had hoped for. Tsunayoshi looks at him and hums. “I was giving her a warning. She’s one of the few sources of light in school. I would hate to see that be snuffed out. It is important that I warn her, too. An undesirable event would occur to balance out the true event that will not otherwise.”

“What does that mean?” It had taken no time at all for him to realize that Tsunayoshi likes to speak with vague words and riddles. Reborn is a genius in his own right—he wouldn’t be the World’s Greatest Hitman if he weren’t—but the words that Tsunayoshi speaks are beyond him. They remind him of Luce.

(That’s not possible, though, because he is not Luce and there is no way he can see into the future. It’s not possible)

“It will make sense,” is all Tsunayoshi offers. “Or maybe it won’t. Well, what I meant was that warning her brought ire upon myself rather than pain upon her.”

That explains nothing. “Dame-Tsuna…” Leon slinks into his hand, transforming into a gun to point at Tsunayoshi. He’s irritated at both himself and Tsunayoshi. He _hates_ not knowing things.

Unfortunately, Tsunayoshi sees the gun, and before Reborn can react, he _bolts_.

 

_v._

“You’re not planning on skipping out on the fight, are you?” Reborn asks. Tsunayoshi had managed to get to school before Reborn could catch up to him, so there was no way he could actually shoot. Soon after he caught up and found a hiding place, the president of the kendo club had approached him and challenged him to a match.

(“What did you say to Kyoko, Dame-Tsuna?” Mochida Kensuke had roared, face red and eyebrows taut. Tsunayoshi had blinked rapidly in surprise. The students milling around stopped and stared

“I didn’t say anything,” he said, then tilted his head in thought. “Yeah, I didn’t say anything.”

“Why is she suddenly _avoiding me_ then? It could have only been you!”

Reborn didn’t know how that conclusion could have been reached. Nobody should have seen their interaction and it was quite a leap to assume that Tsunayoshi could have said anything. Somehow, no one else looked particularly off-kilter either.

“Ah. That. I just… gave her a warning?” Tsunayoshi shrugged and smiled nervously. He cringed back as Mochida loomed over him, practically glaring daggers.

“That’s it!” he declared. “I challenge you to a kendo match after school!”

Everyone burst into whispers)

“Of course not,” Tsunayoshi says. “The light will die out if I don’t. Though this is a lot of trouble…” He sighs, but continues walking towards the clubroom. Reborn looks at him thoughtfully, then retreats to a hiding place. He doesn’t have to be inside the room to hear the chatter of all the students.

They all turn silent as the door slides open. Tsunayoshi fidgets and scans the crowd.

“You’re finally here, Dame-Tsuna!” Mochida booms. “I thought you would chicken out like the coward you are!”

“I’d really rather not be here,” Tsunayoshi says. He’s ignored.

“I won’t forgive a useless loser like you for worrying Kyoko unnecessarily! Since you’re a novice, I’ll go easy on you: if you can manage to hit me before I hit you, then you win!”

Tsunayoshi looks wary. “Win… what?”

“The prize, Sasagawa Kyoko!” Mochida points his shinai at the said girl. She gapes beside her best friend. Tsunayoshi merely frowns.

“ _Prize_?” she shrieks.

“It would do you well not to insult she who the fog favors,” Tsunayoshi says.

“Enough of your nonsense! Let’s begin!”

Before they can, the door slams open. Hibari Kyoya stands at the entrance, his right hand, Kusakabe Testsuya, behind him. Someone chokes in the audience.

(“ _Of course Dame-Tsuna had to call_ him _in._ ”)

“Lynx,” he growls, glaring at Tsunayoshi as he stalks inside. “I loathe crowding. Remind me why I cannot simply bite everyone to death?”

“The light which shines through the fog shouldn’t be contained. The wooden sword may become damaged while in the process damaging its surroundings. There would be too big a risk if I let you handle everything. I need you here as a warning and a promise,” Tsunayoshi explains. Hibari glares at him for a while longer.

“I will tolerate this, but you cannot interfere when I bite _everyone_ to death,” he decides, “including you.”

“Haha… of course, Kyoya-senpai.” He lowers his head, sulking.

“…Tetsu.”

Kusakabe nods and hands a shinai to Tsunayoshi. He smiles in return and then turns back to Mochida, who wears a much more nervous expression.

“E-even if you have the Disciplinary Committee on your side, I still won’t let you win!” he says. Then, with a swing of his own shinai, he goes after Tsunayoshi.

The match is one-sided; Mochida rushes and tries to land a hit and Tsunayoshi dodges. Some of it is nothing but pure luck as Tsunayoshi trips just in time to avoid a strike. Sometimes he aims, but it never hits. To Reborn’s annoyance, it’s clear he has no idea what he’s doing.

Well, it’s not as though he was planning to let Tsunayoshi fight on his own in the first place.

Once again, Leon forms into a gun in his hand. Tsunayoshi and Mochida are quick, but Reborn is the World’s Greatest Hitman. It’s no trouble at all to aim at a moving target.

“ _Reborn_! Stop the light from being captured with my _Dying Will_!”

( _What?_ )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to write fight scenes. Why am I writing a KHR fic when I have no idea how to write fight scenes? Your guess is as good as mine. So as a result, I ended up, uhh, Not Doing That. I'll figure it out. Eventually.
> 
>  **Tsuna:** One of my biggest pet peeves is when people write characters _completely_ out of character when it doesn't fit with the AU (though that usually only happens when people try to do the whole "submissive character who needs a Big Strong Protector" thing). Since this is an AU, I tried to make my version of Tsuna work with who his character is. I wanted to do a mix of the cryptic and mysterious influence of the Sight and the still-prevalent fact that Tsuna is a teenager. So he's not constantly speaking in riddles and he knows when not to say certain things (better than he did as a child, anyway) but he still says things that make no sense. Really, I just wanted to work on the fact that, yes, he has the whole magic thing going on, but he's still a _teenager_.
> 
> I think that's everything I have to explain for this chapter, but feel free to ask if my motivations for certain things here aren't clear! Some things I implied in this chapter will also be explained after the next chapter though.  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the next one! I had some trouble with it, but, hmm, I think I figured out what to do. Thank you so much for reading!


	6. canorous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gokudera Hayato is not meant for silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, anyone seen Love, Simon yet? I haven't but I really want to.  
> Also, I started rereading/re-watching Durarara for research! I can't decide where in DRRR canon I want the crossover to be. Hmm...
> 
> I almost didn't get this chapter in! I've been super busy all week because I have finals next week and I didn't have any time to write at all. Luckily, my last final is on Wednesday, so I should be able to get the next chapter in.  
> I hope you enjoy!

_i._

“Mama, why does he have to stay _here_?” Tsuna asks. The moon shines through the window, casting an eerie glow into the kitchen. The lights stay off so as not to alert the sleeping hitman upstairs. Inside his head, Infinity whispers about _catalyst_ and _importance_ and _growth_.

“I’m sure Infinity can tell you, Tsu-kun,” Nana says, “but it would be harder for you to reach your destiny if you do not have Reborn-kun here. He is the reason everything begins.” She slides a cup of tea towards him. He takes a sip and relishes in its warmth. “He’s one of your Bonded, is he not?”

“He will be.” Tsuna rubs at his chest. The imprint of the unrealized Bond seeps into his Seal, but it’s not as overwhelming as it had been with Kyoya. Reborn will not be one of his Guardians. “I can’t bring myself to like him yet. He was one of the ones rude to Skull-san.” He pauses to listen to Infinity speak. “And Infinity says that he is not as he should be just yet.”

“He is mafia and the curse is hard on everyone. Give it time.” Nana presses a kiss to his forehead. “Now go rest up. Tomorrow is the day everything begins.”

Tsuna nods. He stands and pushes his seat in, then pauses again. “Mama. I will not become a mafia boss.”

She smiles. “I know. Your _path_ is not along the _sinner’s trail_.”

 

_ii._

Tsuna groans into his desk. Reborn’s wake-up calls were awful, and he was still sore from the match a few days before. Kyoya had spared no mercy on him once the match was over. He might have even been tougher on him for making him endure the crowd and also losing his clothes when he got shot.

(Those five minutes may have been the clearest moments of his life since the Seal was put on him. He still remembers how his Flames poured _over_ the Seal, how the _warmth_ spread through his entire body, how for once he wasn’t being blinded by the Sight from every corner of the room.

He had forgotten what that felt like)

“Sawada-kun?” Tsuna lifts his head at the sweet voice of Sasagawa Kyoko.

“Good morning, Sasagawa-chan,” he says. The fog trails freely around her ankles. Her smile shines brighter than ever and so do her arms, though she has yet to truly use them. “Your light hasn’t dulled! The wooden sword has honored the deal.” He nods approvingly. Sasagawa giggles.

“Yes, I wanted to thank you for that,” she says. “And, um, I think after all of this, it would be alright for you to call me Kyoko-chan.” Kurokawa Hana stares at her.

“Did you forget he called in _Hibari_?” she hisses.

“Ah, but, that’s what we’re supposed to do anyway, so it’s fine! Sawada-kun and Hibari-san are good friends, right? It makes sense!”

Tsuna can’t help but admire Sasagawa—no, Kyoko’s perspective. Nobody else ever appreciates Kyoya’s work in the school. “Kyoya-senpai would have been even more mad if I hadn’t told him,” he says. “If I call you Kyoko-chan… you can call me Tsuna.” It would be nice to have someone call him by his name for once. To Kyoya, he is Lynx; to his mother, he is Tsu-kun; to Reborn, he is Dame-Tsuna—his name would be a nice change.

“Alright, Tsuna-kun!” Kyoko smiles brightly.

The door slides open and with it, an unsettling silence. Tsuna tilts his head. There’s supposed to be something playing, but it’s been snuffed out. Strangled. As though whatever song was playing had been stuffed somewhere where no one could find. It’s unnatural. It spells of _heartbreak_ and _aching_.

“Tsuna-kun?” Kyoko whispers beside him. He looks at her and becomes aware of the tear sliding down his cheek. “Are you okay?” Her eyebrows furrow in worry.

“I’m fine,” he whispers back and wipes the tear away. The door slides open again and a silver-haired boy enters.

“This is Gokudera Hayato,” the teacher says. “He’s a transfer from Italy. Please be kind to him.”

As expected, the girls start gushing about his delinquent look. Tsuna isn’t paying attention. The _music-that-does-not-play_ surrounds only Gokudera. It’s quiet. As he stares, he sees _sorrow, anguish, loneliness, explosions, the need to prove himself, want for more_. The red Flame is small in his chest, awake but yet to be _alive_.

Tsuna knows, instantly, that this boy is important.

Then he blinks, his vision clears, and Gokudera is stalking towards him with a fierce glare. He only just manages to move out of the way before his desk is kicked to the ground.

(The classroom is silent, and then everyone begins to whisper to one another. The teacher pales, eyes wide.

“ _Nobody tell Hibari-san._ ”)

“G-Gokudera-san! Please go to your seat!” the teacher stammers. Gokudera scoffs, but complies. Tsuna stares after him.

“Do you know him, Tsuna-kun?” Kyoko asks.

“No.” _But I will._

 

_iii._

_Do not go to lunch with Kyoya today,_ Infinity says. _You are needed in the back of the school._ Tsuna frowns at his extra bento. He can feel the pull towards the back of the school and he hadn’t been planning on ignoring it. To ignore a call was to create a _doomed path_.

He heads to the roof first. Kyoya got crankier than normal without his lunch.

“Kyoya-senpai, I have your lunch,” he announces as he opens the door. Kyoya doesn’t acknowledge him. He sets the bento beside his head, then says, “The wind is pulling me elsewhere today. I won’t be joining you.”

At this, Kyoya opens his eyes. “If you cause trouble, I’ll bite you to death.”

“ _Demon_ ,” Tsuna huffs. His body is still sore from the last time. “I’ll see you later, Kyoya-senpai.” Kyoya doesn’t acknowledge him and closes his eyes again.

Tsuna follows where the wind tugs him. Infinity hums in his mind a song of lost and found. He doesn’t recognize it. As he grows closer to where he’s meant to be, he can feel the _silence_ beginning to engulf him. He shudders. He wants to cry again. The _silence_ is a result of _pain, desperation, loneliness._

“Pathetic.” Tsuna doesn’t flinch. He had known that Gokudera was waiting for him. “If you become Tenth, the Vongola Family will be finished.”

“You’re not Vongola,” Tsuna says blankly. The Vongola smell isn’t present on him. It’s somewhat present on Reborn, but only enough to show his allegiance and not his complete loyalty. Gokudera ignores him.

“I refuse to accept someone as weak as you! I’m more fit to be the Tenth!” he continues, sneering.

“The Vongola only allows inheritance through blood though.” Tsuna stares. Gokudera goes on a further rant that he’s not very interested in listening to. Lies are annoying, faulty things that grate on his ears, and the silence seems to _ring_ the more he speaks.

( _Notice me, accept me, I don’t want to be alone_ )

“Are you okay?” Tsuna interrupts.

“ _Hah_?”

“Are you okay?” he repeats. “You seem very sad. Mournful, maybe, or just lonely. Your song is gone. You’re supposed to be made of music, did you know? I can’t ignore it. So are you okay?” _Offer him a home,_ says Infinity. “Do you want some of my mom’s cooking? She’s really good.”

It’s not the right thing to say. Gokudera’s face becomes red with anger. From seemingly nowhere, he pulls out dynamites. “ _Are you making fun of me, you bastard_?”

“W-wait, no, that wasn’t my intention!” Tsuna takes a step back, eyes wide. If he let those go off, Kyoya would _kill him_. He isn’t exactly confident in his ability to dodge explosions either.

“Ciaossu.” Reborn hops on top of the nearby window sill, interrupting their confrontation. “You’re early, Gokudera Hayato.”

“I knew this could only be your doing,” Tsuna sighs.

“He’s from a Family in Italy,” Reborn explains.

“The Vongola Ninth’s most trusted assassin, Reborn,” Gokudera says. “You said I’ll become a candidate for the successor if I kill this guy, right?”

“That’s correct. Now, go ahead.”

Tsuna opens his mouth to protest and ask _why Reborn is lying so blatantly_ when Infinity says, _This has to happen. Let it happen._ He stops, frowns, takes a step back. Then barely manages to dodge an onslaught of dynamite that had been lit without his noticing.

“Gokudera Hayato,” Reborn says as Tsuna stumbles away from each explosion, “is said to be a human explosive device. He conceals dynamite all over his body. In the mafia, he is also known as Smokin’ Bomb Hayato.”

_Kyoya is definitely going to kill me,_ Tsuna despairs as he trips out of the way of another explosive. He skids to a stop in front of a wall and turns, facing the bombs. He doesn’t have enough training for this and the Seal still halts most of his movements. A majority of his skill lies in dodging. He knows how to throw a punch and defend himself if necessary, but he’s not a _fighter_ —not yet.

(He knows he will be. Once the Seal has fully eroded at last, he will know how to fight and protect. But as he is now, Skull has a job that he cannot ignore and the Seal cannot be broken yet. So he is stuck)

“Win with your Dying Will.” Reborn is barely heard over the combined noise of roaring music and explosives. Tsuna registers the gun-that-is-not-a-gun and the bullet that hits him and he falls.

“ _Reborn_! Save the fallen song with my _Dying Will_!”

The temporary release of the Seal leaves Tsuna giddy again. A grin splits across his face and Infinity laughs in the back of his mind. They find this funny. He would laugh too if he had the time, but he focuses on defusing the bombs before they can create more damage to the school.

Gokudera grows frantic, trying to light even more at once until he slips up. He drops too many bombs and Tsuna _sees_ the moment he thinks that that’s it for him and he gives up and that’s—

That’s not allowed.

Tsuna _knows_ , clearly, deeply, that Gokudera _cannot_ die. His song is too quiet, his life too important, and he refuses to let anyone die while he can do something. The Seal is temporarily gone and Tsuna has spent years learning to live with it and now that it’s gone, he’s even better. He’s _fast_ and he darts to each explosive, defusing them and barely feeling the burns in his hands.

His five minutes are up as soon as he defuses the last bomb. He trips over his feet once more, but smiles and wipes sweat from his forehead. “There we go.” He turns to face Gokudera. He’s sitting on the ground, shocked and probably unable to comprehend what just happened. Tsuna holds out a hand. “Are you okay, Gokudera-san?”

He doesn’t respond for a few seconds. Tsuna worries, and then Gokudera grasps his hand with his own. “I was wrong! You _are_ fit to be the Tenth!” he exclaims, eyes sparkling.

“What?” Tsuna is too busy staring at the red and orange strings intertwining between them to take much notice of Gokudera’s rambling. All of a sudden, the red Fire erupts, becoming larger and more vibrant and the unmistakable feeling of Bond steals his breath.

“Congratulations, Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn pipes up. “You’ve gained your first subordinate.”

“Huh? Subordinate…?” He blinks, trying to temporarily will away the _burn_ that has made its home in his chest and along the Seal. “I don’t need a subordinate.” Gokudera begins to deflate, and he hurries to correct himself. “But a friend would be nice. Let’s be friends, Gokudera-san.” He smiles.

(It’s partially so he can feel the Bond. He wants to know this boy who is _his-not-his_ much like Kyoya and yet not exactly the same. He and Kyoya hadn’t Bonded so quickly and as close as they are, Tsuna knows that Gokudera Hayato will become someone _very important_ to him)

“ _Tenth_!” Gokudera exclaims, joyous tears in his eyes. He moves—to lean even closer or hug him, Tsuna does not know, because it is then that Kyoya drops down in front of them. His eyes are hooded. Tsuna takes a step back. There was never any hope that Kyoya wouldn’t notice the explosions and the damage to the school grounds.

“Lynx…” he growls, “herbivore… For crowding and damaging school property, _I will bite you to death_.”

“ _I’m sorry, Kyoya-senpai!_ ”

 

_iv._

Tsuna rubs the back of his head, wincing. He’s going to be sore for longer than usual. “Sorry about Kyoya-senpai. The school is his territory, so he doesn’t like it when people damage it.”

“Who does that bastard think he is?” Gokudera grumbles.

“He’s not so bad. Just follow the rules and don’t crowd and you’ll be fine. Ahh, I’ll have to ask Mama to make his favorite for lunch tomorrow…” Suddenly reminded of his mother, Tsuna looks at Gokudera. “By the way, you don’t have a place to stay do you? You should stay with me. Mama would love to have you. She bought the house to hold a lot of people, so I’m sure she’ll be happy.”

“W-what? No, I can’t possibly—! I’ll figure something out!” Gokudera sputters. Tsuna cocks his head. The _air_ around him smells foreign. Namimori would cling on to him if he had found somewhere to stay.

“No, you should stay with us,” he decides. “I like you. You’re one of mine now and I think the _silence_ is beginning to wear away. Mama would be upset if you didn’t stay.” And so would Infinity, he doesn’t add. Infinity is crowing, urging him on to invite Gokudera to stay. _He is one of yours and one of yours should be with you,_ they say. _At least until the Bond has completely settled,_ they add belatedly, because they can’t expect Gokudera to stay forever.

As expected, he crumbles and nods his agreement. “If… if that’s what the Tenth wishes…”

Tsuna beams, then says, “And please, call me Tsuna.” The look on Gokudera’s face is scandalized. He sighs. It was worth a try.

(Quietly, a piano song begins to play, slow and hesitant as though it’s not sure it’s allowed, but still it lives)

 

_v._

Nana slid his cup of tea towards him. He accepts it with a smile and takes a sip. The world sleeps but for the quiet humming around them.

“How is Hayato-kun liking his new room?” she asks quietly, as though the atmosphere would break if she spoke any louder.

“He’s very happy, even though he thinks he doesn’t deserve it. His song was a lot sadder this morning.”

“I’m proud of you for doing your best to change his _melody_.” She smiles gently. “Will you tell him the truth?”

Tsuna taps his finger against the side of his cup. “If I can. I don’t want to keep a secret from any of my Bonded, but…”

“Reborn-kun is one of your Bonded, too.”

“Not yet.” He shakes his head. “He is not one of mine yet. I don’t trust him.”

“You know better than to listen to words rather than _sights_. Reborn-kun is a teacher, too, you know. Just like Uncle.”

(And teachers don’t just teach. They care for their students, look for how to make them better. They show them how to navigate the world until they are no longer needed. They are _guides_ and a good teacher will always be more than just a teacher)

“Oh, that’s right,” Tsuna says. He ignores the look that says the conversation is not yet over. “Life will become more lively soon.”

Nana nods. “The town has begun stirring ever since Reborn-kun arrived.”

Every step Reborn makes vibrates through the earth. Every choice he makes is like a call to arms. The town, asleep for years since Tsuna’s Sealing, has begun to listen. The leaves outside rustle, whispering “ _something has come_ ” to one another and the birds sing songs of destiny and chaos. Pixies laugh their approval and reptiles and insects emerge from their hiding places to speak of the one who knows their language. The town, slowly, accommodates for a world that has just begun spinning.

“You’re excited, aren’t you, Mama?” Tsuna watches with amusement as his mother’s _being_ glows ever-brighter.

“Ah, you caught me.” She giggles.”I wish nothing more than for you to finally reach your destiny. And I can’t wait for the house to be full of people as it should be.”

Silently, he agrees.

(Because once upon a time, before even his birth, Nana had bought the house for a future yet to come. One day, it would be full of laughter and destruction and people, but it would not be so for a long time. And so she had waited, patiently, in a house much too large for herself while her husband went away to live for a boss and not for her.

Tsuna would not allow that ever again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Guardian acquired! Technically, no fight scene again because uhhh Tsuna is basically just running. Originally Gokudera was going to have a sad song following him that eventually turned into a happy song. Then I decided silence suited him better at this point in the story.
> 
> **Scene i:** Set during the last chapter the night of Reborn's arrival.
> 
> **The Seal:** You may be wondering, "Hey, it's been like, nine years since Tsuna got the Seal and Skull was there to help him. What gives?" My idea is that there are only three ways to fully release a Seal on a Sky: a) full Harmonization with all of their Guardians, b) the person who put the Seal on them releases it, or c) an even stronger Sky than the one who put it on overloads the Seal. A Seal on a Sky can only be released by the same Element because they're compatible or by a combination of all Elements because all of them together are bound under the same Sky. Does that make sense? The point is, Skull could only do so much with his status as the Strongest Cloud. The Seal is only weakened, but not gone. After he did what he could, his main objective was to help Tsuna figure out how to live with the Seal.
> 
> **Gokudera vs Kyoya's Bond:** You'll notice Tsuna didn't become super hyper with Gokudera like he did with Kyoya. This is because he's become used to having a Bond with him constantly, so the new Bond didn't overwhelm him as much. He also Harmonized immediately with Gokudera, which means that the Storm Flames didn't try to _grab_ at him in an attempt to court him like Kyoya's did (not that he knows that).
> 
> I hope Tsuna's inner monologue amused you guys! I wrote the next chapter in a hurry so, hmm, I may need to rewrite some things. Like, I literally wrote all of it today, so I need to revise it. I should, ideally, have the time, but we'll see.  
> Thank you for reading!


	7. inanition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takeshi regrets not listening to Tsuna, that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **BEFORE WE BEGIN, I have an announcement: There will be NO update next week.**  
>  I honestly don't even have chapter eight finished at the moment, but I wanted to get this in right now. I will be on vacation starting in approximately ten hours including my flight. I'm going to have very limited access to internet and probably very little time to do much of anything. I'll try my best to write while I'm gone, but I make no promises. Hopefully, I can manage.
> 
> Now that that's out of the way, I... uh, actually I have nothing to say. Umm I'm still trying to figure out who's going to be who in the KHR/KH crossover (will Riku be Hibari? Or will he be Gokudera? Only careful study of all of the KH games will tell) aaaaand also I wrote this chapter within one day last week so. Eh. Not really happy with at least the first few scenes. I got into a rhythm after the third scene but the first three are pretty much just exposition.  
> Welp, regardless, I hope you guys enjoy!

_i._

The first time Yamamoto Takeshi met Sawada Tsunayoshi, he was told, “It’s not good to wear a mask all the time. You should find something to make you smile for real. Your mask keeps crying and if you don’t take it off, you’ll only hurt yourself more. I don’t want that to happen.”

Takeshi’s mother had just died. The only one he could talk to about it was his father. For his classmates, he kept up a grinning façade. He was supposed to be the popular one, the one that never stopped smiling. He couldn’t afford to be anything but that boy. _What did Sawada Tsunayoshi know about him?_ Lately, Sawada had been speaking more riddles than usual. It was starting to unnerve everyone else and Takeshi didn’t have time to listen to the weird kid if he didn’t want to be abandoned by everyone else.

“You don’t know anything, Sawada!” he sneered. He pushed him to the side and hadn’t spared a second thought towards him.

Takeshi’s business was his own. Sawada had no right to say anything about him.

(The next day, Hibari Kyoya bit him to death for being late to school. It hurt more than usual, for some reason)

 

_ii._

Takeshi had always tried his best to ignore Sawada, but the truth was that he could never stop watching him. Sawada was a mystery hidden by his own awful reputation as “Dame-Tsuna.” Nobody seemed to remember that he wasn’t always “dame.”

(In fact, when Takeshi bothers to think about it, there had once been a time when people actually liked Sawada. He wasn’t popular, but neither was he ostracized. Everyone thought he was kind of odd, but overall a good kid. Not someone that everyone would laugh at, anyway.

That all changed the week he was gone from school)

Over the years, the things he notices about Sawada are these:

The way he trips over nothing is unnatural. It’s as though his balance is completely off, his center of gravity shifted two centimeters to the right. No one trips so often like that, even though he’s gotten better after some time.

He used to be able to answer questions well enough. Now, it’s odd if Takeshi doesn’t see him staring blankly at the teacher like he can’t hear anything. He always stares into space, but when they’re supposed to learning, it’s as though nothing is actually being heard. His notes are always blank.

He likes to speak in riddles.  Takeshi is never able to figure out what he means, but his friends whisper about his weird ability to just _know_ things. _What a freak,_ they say and laugh like they aren’t as nervous as they are about it.

After the week he was gone, he became more isolated from the class. And yet he had decided to befriend the scariest kid at Namimori Elementary. Hibari doesn’t give him special treatment with his beatings, but Sawada is the only one allowed to sit on the roof with him and nobody wants to test whether or not Hibari would do _something_ if anyone were to try to do anything against Sawada.

Other than Hibari, Sawada talks to no one. He ignores the whispers about him and the purposeful tripping and name-calling in favor of whatever is constantly on his mind. The only ones who he will offer more than a few words to are the people he deems “worth it.” The only ones who matter to him are, apparently, Hibari, Sasagawa, and Kurokawa.

(And after that day in elementary school, Takeshi was no longer “worth it”)

When Mochida challenges Sawada to a fight, Takeshi expects him to ignore it and go home, or call Hibari to deal with it. Everyone knows he likes to stay out of large conflict. It’s a surprise when he actually comes and even more surprising is how he makes Hibari wait, all while spouting his usual nonsense about Sasagawa’s “light” and “fog.”

And then he wins and Takeshi has the strangest feeling that things are going to be different.

 

_iii._

The day the transfer student comes to class, Sawada starts crying for no reason. He doesn’t even notice until Sasagawa points it out.

Gokudera hates him on sight. He kicks his table and glares and Sawada just stares in that same way that everyone tries to avoid looking at. And then, somehow, in the short time that everyone eats lunch, he has a complete switch and appears to _adore_ him. Sawada, in turn, smiles and apparently Gokudera is now “worth it.”

Takeshi sort of wishes he hadn’t fallen from Sawada’s favor all those years ago, if only so he can actually figure him out.

So he decides it’s time to start.

“Help has arrived!” he says cheerfully, approaching Sawada with his usual forced grin. Sawada, as usual, stares at him, or maybe _through_ him.

“…Hello, Yamamoto-san,” he says slowly. “Your mask is terrible as always, but not crying today. Or even angry. That’s nice.” He blinks and his back straightens, as though he’s snapped out of a trance. Takeshi isn’t surprised. He tends to do that. “You don’t have to clean up with me, you know.”

Takeshi chooses to ignore his comment. He can still remember the way he had talked about his “mask” the first time they met. Now he knows what he means, and he doesn’t like being so transparent. “Maa, it’s fine! You always have to clean up. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yeah, I could tell. You wouldn’t approach me without intent, and your _air_ is stiff. It wouldn’t be stiff if you were just making a decision on a whim.” Sawada leans his chin on top of his broom. “So what did you want to talk about?”

“Observant as always, haha…” Takeshi laughs, but Sawada frowns. He continues hurriedly. “Well, anyway, you’ve been kind of incredibly lately, you know? You beat Mochida in a kendo match and you even became friends with that transfer student somehow…”

“Mochida was a fluke,” Sawada says flippantly, “but I did try my best to become friends with Hayato. What do you _actually_ want to say, though?”

Takeshi sighs. “How are you doing it? Even if Mochida was a fluke, you still did it. Meanwhile I’ve been getting worse. My average keeps dropping and my fielding is screwing up, even though I keep practicing. So, what do you think I should do?”

Sawada tilts his head curiously. His eyes drift to Takeshi’s chest, then to his arm. “Oh, I see.” He nods. “That explains why your arm is glass.”

“My arm is what?”

“Glass. You’re about to break. If you keep practicing, then you’ll hurt yourself. You should rest for a while. You’re straining yourself.”

Takeshi stares, unimpressed but forcing himself not to show it. Practice can only improve him, even though it hasn’t been working much lately. He doesn’t know why he tried to ask. “Aha, I don’t think you know what you’re talking about,” he chuckles. “Honestly, I don’t know what I was expecting. You don’t play sports.”

Sawada frowns, but shrugs and says nothing. Takeshi takes that as an agreement.

 

_iv._

It’s honestly a surprise that neither Hibari nor any of the Disciplinary Committee members noticed him heading to the roof. It’s a relief though. He doesn’t want to be stopped.

Takeshi should have listened to Sawada. He had been _warned_ not to keep practicing, but like an idiot, he had thought he knew better. He thought he could do anything if he just kept working. Everyone always called him an airhead, but they liked him because at least he could play. _Now I’m not even good enough for that._

He laughs, bitter at his classmates, at baseball, at the world. What was he if he couldn’t play baseball? Nobody liked him for _him_. They liked his skills and his smile but none of them actually cared about who he was. He was just another idol, and now that he couldn’t do what they expected of him, what was left?

He doesn’t want to be _alone_.

“Yamamoto, this isn’t funny!” someone screams. A baseball buddy—just another person who only cares that he can’t play.

“This isn’t a joke,” Takeshi says. He doesn’t look at any of them. “The baseball god threw me away. I don’t have anything anymore.” His classmates shout at him to stop, to get away from the ledge, the fence might fall apart. He doesn’t want to listen. None of them _care_.

“Yamamoto-san, what are we supposed to tell your father?”

Takeshi stiffens. That’s Sawada’s voice, calm and yet somehow cutting through everyone else. He turns, slowly, and faces the most confusing boy in their year. “What?”

“Your father,” he repeats. His head is tilted—

(always tilted, as though listening to something. Or someone)

\--and for once, he’s staring _at_ him, not through him. “Your father gave up his life for family. Do you want to die and leave your father alone? And—“ He cuts himself off, mouth twisting. “And the baseball god has not abandoned you. Your arm will heal. You can play again. Do you want to die, knowing there are things you can still do? You can help your father. You can study like you haven’t before. There are so many things you can live for, if you would take a moment to really think.” Sawada takes a deep breath, shutting his eyes as though to shut something else out. The wind blows sharply around them. “I don’t want to see the Rain give way to a drought.”

“Sawada…”

His eyes open and he suddenly blushes. “Um… I-I spoke out of turn, but, really… You have things to live for and you should live without regrets. That’s all.” He fidgets and starts to turn. Takeshi forgets, sometimes, how Sawada hates attention.

“Wait!” he calls. He leans over the fence, catching Sawada’s shirt.

Sawada trips backwards. The fence breaks. The two of them fall.

Gasps and shouts come from above, but Takeshi isn’t paying attention. He only knows that he’s _falling_ and so is Sawada, who just gave him something to think about and now he’s thinking of his _dad_ , oh god what will his dad do? Sawada doesn’t deserve this either. He doesn’t deserve to _die_ because of him.

Takeshi grabs Sawada, hoping to at least be able to help him, cushion his fall, _something_. It’s the least he could do.

( _You can’t die yet_ )

The world slows. Something _pulls_ and Takeshi gasps, eyes snapping open because… they’re not falling anymore. They’re not falling _quickly_ , that is. They’re still dropping, but slower. Gentler. Sawada has his arms around Takeshi’s waist and his face buried in his chest atop him and neither of them seem to be doing anything and yet.

Yet for a split second, Takeshi thinks he sees _wings._

They collapse on the ground together, scratched and dirty and possibly bleeding, but not dead or even harmed at all.

Sawada lets go of him and drops on his back. He giggles hysterically. Takeshi stares. There’s nothing funny about what just happened. They almost _died_ before Takeshi could tell him what he thought.

But Takeshi smiles. For once, it feels real.

“They’re okay!” someone says.

“Impossible…”

Their classmates keep talking but they aren’t important. Sawada is important. Sawada is sitting up, bruised but not dead, and smiling at Takeshi and he can’t bring himself to care about what their classmates are saying about them.

“You’re smiling!” Sawada says, eyes wide and a little excited. Takeshi doesn’t think he’s ever seen him excited. “Your mask is smiling at the same time you are!”

“Haha, I don’t understand what you’re saying!” Takeshi chuckles. “But thank you, Sawada.”

“Hm?” Sawada blinks at him.

“You were right,” he continues. “I can’t leave my dad. And I still have things to do, even without my arm! Man… you were right in elementary school. Nothing good comes from me being an idiot.”

“You were a kid. I should have expected your response.” Sawada stands and holds out his hand. “I’m glad your mask is smiling now. That means you’re actually happy. I haven’t seen you be so happy in years. I hope… would it be too much for me to ask if we can be friends now?”

Takeshi beams. He doesn’t take his hand. Instead, he scrambles up to throw an arm around his shoulders. “Of course! You’re a pretty cool guy, Sawada! Actually, can I call you Tsuna now?”

“Go ahead. And I’ll call you Takeshi.”

“ _Tenth_!”

“ _Lynx…_ ”

Tsuna pales and looks to the side. “Oh… no…”

 

_v._

“You are one of the Lynx’s Bonded, so I will keep the school from calling your father, but this will only happen once,” Hibari had said after giving them both an awful beating. Along with Gokudera, for good measure. Takeshi had wanted to thank him for that. He didn’t want to cause his father so much pain.

“Hey Tsuna, you wanna come to my place after school?” he then asked. “You two can come too!” He grinned at Gokudera, who glared, and Hibari, who said nothing and stalked away. Tsuna just nodded his confirmation.

So Takeshi heads home with Tsuna and Gokudera after school. Gokudera is glowering at him from the Tsuna’s other side.

“You cause way too much trouble for the Tenth…” he mutters.

“It’s how things were meant to be Hayato,” Tsuna says idly.

“Hey, how did you save us anyway? You did something, right?” Takeshi asks, because he can’t get those _wings_ out of his head. He’s not sure whether or not they were actually there.

Tsuna smiles mysteriously. “I wonder.” He looks in front of him at the doors of Takesushi. “We’re here.” The evasion is obvious, but Takeshi doesn’t point it out. He’s too excited suddenly. He has _friends_ now—friends that he actually wants his dad to meet.

“Hey Dad! I’m home! And I made some new friends!” he calls as he throws open the doors.

“We are _not_ friends,” Gokudera snaps. He sounds so offended that Takeshi has to laugh.

His dad looks up and grins. “Welcome home, Takeshi. You really made friends?” Because his dad knows. He knows that Takeshi doesn’t _actually_ like the people he hangs around and for Takeshi to say something, to be so visibly excited, means that he does like these people.

“Yup! This awesome guy here is Tsuna, and that’s Gokudera!” Takeshi points to them. Gokudera reluctantly bows while Tsuna waves shyly.

“Sorry for intruding,” Tsuna says sheepishly. “I’m Sawada Tsunayoshi. Please call me Tsuna.” He elbows Gokudera, giving him a pointed look when he says nothing.

“Gokudera Hayato. Pleasure to meet you,” Gokudera says quietly.

“Good to meet you Tsuna-kun, Hayato-kun,” Takeshi’s father says warmly. “Have a seat. I’ll whip something up for you real quick. On the house for my son’s friends!” Takeshi laughs and tugs them to a booth.

“Your dad seems very warm,” Tsuna comments. “I’m glad. He’s…” He hesitates. Takeshi waits. “He’s just very nice,” he says. Takeshi grins and nods.

“Yeah. I’m really lucky to have him.”

(There’s a story there. Rumor has it that Tsuna has no father. That he ran out on them, or died, or he just isn’t there. Nobody actually knows who he is.

But Takeshi doesn’t ask. Tsuna will tell him one day)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third Guardian captured! Next chapter will be a brief break in between canon content to address Tsuna's new Daily Life. But will it be in Tsuna's POV? Hmm...
> 
>  **Wings:** The magic tag exists for a reason, and the wings aren't just for show. But they can't actually be used for much of anything, much less actual flying, and as Tsuna is, he can barely use them at all. They're at least helpful in slowing down a fall from a tall height.
> 
> As I said before, no update next week. I'll try to write and finish the next two chapters while I'm gone. No promises. And as always, thank you so much for reading and enjoying!!


	8. interlude: effulgent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna must be a god amongst humans, Hayato decides.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OTL  
> Yeah, no update last week because I was a Fool who thought I could write within a week after barely writing during vacation and ended up becoming lazy. This is an interlude chapter as I attempt to get my shit together because guess what?? I've been reading KHR on my phone to write these chapters except last week the website decided it **hates my guts** and so doesn't want to load. I didn't want to leave you hanging, so interlude chapter, and hopefully I can manage to pull off writing everything I've been planning to write within a week.
> 
> Enjoy Hayato's POV! It's super short and hmm kinda unsatisfying, but a look into his thoughts on some of Tsuna and his new life. It's mostly just monologue and Hayato trying not to think too deeply about things he hasn't been told yet.

_i._

“What do you think of Tsunayoshi?” Reborn asks in Italian. Tsuna is asleep in his own room and it is Hayato’s second week staying with him. The clock reads 02:53.

“Tenth is _amazing_ ,” Hayato gushes promptly, because it’s true. He’s made his devotion to Tsuna no secret. Tsuna is kind and clearly benevolent, but also incredibly capable and determined in everything he does. There is no one else Hayato would wish to follow.

“Is that so?” Reborn murmurs. Hayato stills and sits up fully, narrowing his eyes. Reborn is the World’s Greatest Hitman. There’s something in those three words that means he knows something, or has noticed something, that Hayato has yet to understand.

“Is there something wrong with the Tenth?” he asks.

Reborn stays quiet, contemplating his words. “There’s something _off_ about him and Nana.” Not a question. A statement. There’s absolute certainty in Reborn’s voice. He knows that there is something different about the two; something not entirely _civilian_. And Hayato knows this, too, because for all that he has worshipped the ground that Tsuna walks, he is still a hitman, and hitmen are trained to notice these things.

“Tenth will be a good boss,” is his only response. There’s something _off,_ something _different_ , about Tsuna and Nana, but whatever it is has no bearing on Hayato’s opinion. Tsuna will be a good boss. Regardless of whatever it is about him that makes him _different_.

Reborn doesn’t answer. He nods his head and exits the room.

 

_ii._

Hayato is ashamed to admit that, when he first saw his new boss, he hadn’t thought much of him. To be fair, Tsuna is scrawny and quiet—very unlike most mafia men. The first day Hayato observes him, he observes the way he doesn’t seem to look at anything.

_Listless,_ he notes, seeing the way Tsuna stares out the window rather than at the teacher. His eyes drift everywhere, to the leaves, to the sky, to the ground. He doesn’t speak to any of his classmates. He stares at them as though none of them are truly there. He looks _bored_ , disinterested in all of them. The first time Hayato notices his eyes actually _see_ someone is when he sees Hibari Kyoya.

Of all the people for the Decimo candidate to choose to befriend, he chooses the so-called “Demon Prefect” of Namimori Middle. His eyes brighten, his mouth curves, and his voice becomes light. It was clear that, to Tsuna, everyone else was unimportant. It was arrogant, Hayato thought. Selfish. Someone who shouldn’t be followed. Hayato is—was desperate to find a place, but he wasn’t sure he would be okay with following someone who clearly thought more of himself than he was.

But then he _met_ him.

Tsuna managed to disarm his bombs and then _asked to be friends_. He smiled at him, gentle and open, and said he wouldn’t mind a friend. Hayato had been willing to follow him from the first bomb disarmed, but that sealed it. Nobody had ever wanted _Hayato_ as a _friend_ , and Tsuna actually _looked_ at him. He looked at him and he didn’t see a bastard son or a reckless child. He saw someone who was _worth it_. Hayato knows, deeply, that he doesn’t deserve it. But he doesn’t mind letting Tsuna believe he does.

Nana is a wonderful woman, too. It’s easy to see where Tsuna got his kindness from. She greets him warmly and makes Italian food for him the first night he stays. Then, like Tsuna, she keeps _listening_ to him. Nobody has ever listened; not since—

(He doesn’t want to think about that. He doesn’t want to think about _her_. Not yet. Not until he’s gotten used to everything)

For once in his life, Hayato thinks he might be content to settle in this place for as long as he can.

 

_iii._

Nana likes to make a fuss, which is admittedly, completely fine with Hayato. He likes the attention, though he feels selfish and guilty for the thought. No one has ever _fussed_ over him before though, so it’s nice. Both Nana and his boss are apparently worriers.

“Oh, you’re still so thin,” Nana says at dinner as Tsuna washing his plate in the sink, a concerned frown on her face. “The bags under your eyes seem to have gone down a bit, so that’s good. Can you eat more, Hayato-kun?” Hayato’s face burns as it has every time his name is said. After the first day, Tsuna and Nana had decided that the use of his first name was acceptable. He was still trying to get used to it.

“Yes, Sawada-sama!” he manages. Her frown deepens.

“You can call me Mama, Hayato-kun,” she reminds him gently. “You’re Tsu-kun’s precious friend. Tsu-kun’s friends are his important Bonds, which means you’re a part of the family.” It’s not the first time she’s said such a thing, but Hayato is sure his face is bright red by now.

“I can’t do that!” he protests. Nana is a lot like Tsuna. She doesn’t have the makings of a mafia woman—her arms are thin, not muscled, and she doesn’t walk like she’s ready to fight at any moment—but she has the same gentle heart and willingness to help. She deserves nothing less than full respect. _Mama_ is simply too casual.

“Hm…” She tilts her head curiously, finger tapping against the dining table. “Can you at least call me Nana? Sawada-sama is a bit too formal, don’t you think?”

Hayato thinks. It’s true that calling her ‘Sawada’ is rather formal, which is good, but… odd in such a relaxed setting. “…Nana-sama, then,” he decides. Realizing that that’s the best she’s going to get out of him, Nana nods and smiles.

“Alright then,” she says. “Well, it sounds like your inner song is coming along quite nicely. If I could write music, I would put it onto paper.” Hayato isn’t sure what she means, but both her and Tsuna appear to like whatever ‘song’ he plays that he can’t hear. He elects to put the comment out of mind as he has every time it’s come up.

The sink in the kitchen shuts off and a few seconds later, Tsuna returns to the dining table. “Are you still eating, Hayato?” he asks.

“U-um! Yes, Tenth!” It took some time, but after being reminded the first eight times, he had come to realize that it wasn’t necessary that he drop everything for Tsuna. Not that he _wouldn’t_ do so in a heartbeat, but he could at least stick around for food.

“Okay.” Tsuna smiles and sits back down, humming. “I’m glad to see you and Mama are getting along.”

“Your mother is a beautiful and amazing woman, Tenth!” Hayato declares promptly. Nana giggles and blushes, waving a hand, but it’s absolutely true. Hayato is certain. If Tsuna is a god in disguise, then it’s only right that his mother is a goddess.

And the grin on Tsuna’s face says he agrees, too.

 

_iv._

Tsuna’s choices in friends are questionable. Hayato is willing to follow him into anything, but Hibari and Yamamoto are _nuisances_.

“That’s not very nice, Hayato,” Tsuna says idly.

“Yeah, we’re all friends here, Hayato-kun!” Yamamoto laughs, carefree and cheerful and _annoying_ as always.

(Hayato knows. He’s a hitman—he can spot another person like him easily. But unlike him, Yamamoto did not understand the instincts he was born with and tried too hard to hide it. And it almost killed him, and more importantly, Tsuna. Hayato can’t stand people like him, who are incapable of being genuine about everything. He can’t tell if he can trust him with anything, much less Tsuna. He doesn’t want to take that chance)

“I am not your _friend_!” Hayato snaps. “And stop calling me that! Only the Tenth and his mother can call me by my name!” Yamamoto does nothing but laugh more. Tsuna smiles at the two of them and doesn’t interject. He rarely does, other than to make short comments and scold them half-heartedly.

“ _Herbivores_ ,” Hibari growls, eyes snapping open. He sits up to snarl at Tsuna. “ _Lynx_. If you cannot control your pack while on _my_ roof, _kindly_ take them _anywhere_ else. I cannot sleep with all of your incessant chatter.”

“Yes, my apologies, Kyoya-senpai,” Tsuna says dryly, more amused than intimidated. Hayato would expect nothing less. Even though Hibari is _clearly_ being unappreciative of Tsuna’s generosity.

“Don’t tell him what to do!” he hisses. Hibari is up in a flash, tonfas in his hands and eyes flashing. Hayato stands, bombs at the ready.

“Hayato! Kyoya-senpai!” Tsuna squeaks. Hayato is already throwing a stick at the _irritating, ungrateful, disrespectful_ prefect. Hibari snarls and, unfortunately, dodges easily. In the background, Hayato hears Yamamoto laugh and comment about “fireworks.”

Hayato _really_ hates Tsuna’s friends.

 

_v._

Tsuna has a lot of odd knowledge. When he talks, he always has a lot to say. They don’t make sense most of the time. He talks about clouds as though they tell stories and about Dying Will like it means more than the Flame they use. He would stare at chests, looking at _something_ no one else could seem to see. His eyes are always dancing everywhere. Sometimes he hums a song and Hayato thinks it sounds familiar even though he’s certain he’s never heard the tune before.

(“It’s your song,” Tsuna says. “It’s a nice song. I wish it had more notes.”

“It’s so beautiful,” Nana sighs.  “Tsu-kun can hear it better than I can, but it’s so gentle. Very fitting for you.”

Hayato hasn’t mentioned his past to them at all. Even if he had, it would be difficult for him to mention music to them for a while. They shouldn’t know how much he used to love playing piano and yet…

He’s not sure what to make of this ‘song’ they seem to hear)

His eccentricities don’t put Hayato off. They’re just a part of Tsuna and Hayato can’t possible hate anything about him. But they’re there, and glaringly obvious.

“Tsuna always knows things before anyone else,” Yamamoto says on a day when Tsuna is too busy trying to rein in Hibari to notice their conversation.

“Hah?” Hayato says, because he was perfectly content to ignore him until he mentioned Tsuna.

“You’re probably wondering right?” Yamamoto grins. “Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first. Tsuna’s super weird, but he’s also super cool. He always just _knows_ things. He knew about my arm before I did, saying something about it being ‘glass.’ I don’t know, I can’t really follow him.” He laughs and leans back against the wall. “But you should know that. Tsuna knows a lot of things. Don’t be surprised when he does something _big_.”

“I don’t remember asking, baseball idiot,” Hayato huffs. Still, he files the information away for later.

He had already picked up on Tsuna’s uncanny ability to know things. He remembers how Tsuna had known he wasn’t Vongola, and how he had worried over Yamamoto in the days leading up to his stunt on the rooftop. And Hayato has ears—he hears whenever Tsuna speaks of Sasagawa Kyoko’s “fog” and Yamamoto’s “mask.” Things that don’t make sense, and yet Tsuna doesn’t seem to care.

He wonders if maybe it’s a part of the famed Hyper Intuition. No one, save for the Family itself, knows how it works, but Tsuna’s ability may have something to do with it. It’s the clearest explanation.

(He won’t dare ask. He worries he might offend, and even if he doesn’t, it’s not his place to question his boss. Whatever Tsuna feels he needs to know will be told. He believes that. He has to.

No matter how odd he may be, or how unnerving, or who his other friends are, Hayato _will_ follow him as best he can. Tsuna, before everything else, is kind. That’s enough)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A distinct lack of Reborn, as per usual. Ugh. I can never seem to find anywhere to stick him in for too long. I think I'll be able to once we get into more mafia things as opposed to Bond things (ie Bianchi, Dino, Mukuro even though he's also a Bond. Oh god, I'm so excited to write Mukuro's arc. I have a Plan). For now, training is kind of less important than Tsuna's Bonds and stuff.  
> I hope this chapter managed to satisfy you guys for now though! Not my best writing, I know, but still.
> 
> Next chapter, we resume the plot! I think we all know who's going to be coming up next. I wrote the opening scene (and snickered to myself cuz I thought it was amusing) while on vacation and then nothing else because, well, I still can't access the chapter I'm using.  
> Thank you all so much for being patient with me! I know I'm absolutely awful at maintaining this schedule. And hey, look at that: we reached 200 bookmarks on here! \\(^o^)/ Again, thank you so much for being patient and for continuing to read. It means a lot. ^.^ And now it's time for me to go to bed. Because it's like three in the morning. Why do I always update at this time?


	9. cacoethes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cows aren't meant to fly. Nor should they be allowed to eat strange _somethings_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An excerpt from a chapter I will probably never write:  
> Tsuna, to Xanxus before the Ring Battle: uhhh you know if you put that thing on it'll kill you right  
> Xanxus: THEM'S FIGHTIN WORDS
> 
> So anyway. I think I'll change the update schedule to every two weeks because clearly this is not working for me. My vacation totally threw me off and I don't have the next chapter written.  
> I've also been spending a surprising amount of time thinking about my Kingdom Hearts/KHR crossover reincarnation fic. I can't decide who Ventus should be. I'm just eternally screaming over essentially everything I need to write. Sigh.
> 
> You can tell where in this chapter I actually got invested. Also, yes, it's technically Monday and the early hours of the morning. But shhhh...  
> I hope you guys still like the chapter!

_i._

At the same time a certain plane lands in Namimori, Tsuna looks up and blinks. “Huh.”

Hayato and Takeshi stop arguing to look at him. “What’s up, Tsuna?” Takeshi asks.

“I didn’t know cows could fall from the sky,” Tsuna explains. In a moment of camaraderie, Hayato and Takeshi exchange bewildered looks. Kyoya does nothing but sigh inaudibly. Reborn doesn’t seem to know how to respond to that. Tsuna ignores them and returns to eating.

 

_ii._

“Um…” Tsuna knows his concentration is getting better. He’s able to tune into some of the teacher’s lectures now, and his _sight_ has dulled a little since his Bonds began ebbing away at the Seal, but there’s still a lot he isn’t able to catch. He glances nervously at Reborn, then back at his math homework. “The answer is, uhh… th-three?”

“Wrong.” There’s a cheerful smile on Reborn’s face as he sets off the bomb. Tsuna barely manages to take cover.

“ _Bombs aren’t a very good way of helping_!” he yelps, peaking up from under his hands. His hair is singed and there’s soot all over his clothes. He thanks his _sight_ for giving him the foresight to move everything important into another room.

(Infinity laughs in the back of his mind, gentle and unforgiving. He sort of hates them for that)

“It’s good motivation,” Reborn says.

“You did a great job dodging the blast, Tenth!” Hayato exclaims. Tsuna sighs and is about to return to his seat when his Flame flares.

He blinks and sits up straight, ignoring Reborn. A grassy smell comes from his window. With it is the tell-tale pulling of a new Bond. “A cow,” he says, staring at the child in the tree.

“Let’s go over what we know,” Reborn continues. He must be getting too used to Tsuna now if he isn’t paying him much attention. It’s a little disappointing.

“Reborn, the cow is going to hurt himself,” Tsuna says.

“Die, Reborn!” exclaims said cow, pointing the gun through the open window. Tsuna twitches, ready to bolt, until Infinity says, _There is no need to worry. Go to the calf._ His shoulders relax and he stands again, walking to the window.

“Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn says sharply.

Tsuna holds out a hand to the child. “You’ll hurt yourself if you stay up there,” he says. “Give me the gun and we’ll talk properly.”

“Lambo-san doesn’t _need_ any help!” the boy, Lambo, screeches, arms flailing. Tsuna winces as the branch creeks. The tree isn’t happy.

“Please get down from there before the branch breaks,” he says. He eyes the cracks forming on the branch.

“No! I have to—“

The branch breaks. Tsuna’s breath halts in his throat and he leans over the edge, a hand stretched in a hopeless attempt to grab him.

(He remembers falling, once. He fell and the Fire caught him with the wind and then the man Sealed him away. The trees make sure to shield him now, but he never climbs anymore. They understand, and they hug him between their leaves)

 _He’s okay,_ Infinity assures him. _The wind caught him._ He sees this. He watches Lambo stumble as the wind wraps and lowers him. Lambo doesn’t notice. He darts to the other side of the house. Tsuna sighs and walks to the door to his room, ignoring Reborn and Hayato staring at him.

“Mama!” he calls, poking his head out of the doorway.

“I know, Tsu-kun!” she responds cheerfully. “Go back to studying!”

“Thanks!” He sits back down where he was.

“Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn says, staring at him unnervingly. Tsuna averts his eyes. “That child is of no concern to you. Let’s review again.” Tsuna nods, even though the pounding of footsteps, the herd of a thousand bulls in one child, is becoming louder. Infinity counts down. _Three… two…_

The door slams open. “Long time, no see, Reborn! It’s me, Lambo!”

“Here’s the formula.” Reborn slides a paper towards him and taps an equation. Tsuna blinks at it. It’s a lot of formulas.

“Don’t ignore me! I’ll kill you!” Lambo shrieks, rushing at Reborn only to be tossed to the side. Tsuna’s blood runs cold. _A calf who does not understand death and yet he knows of killing,_ Infinity murmurs sadly. Tsuna glances nervously at the formula sheet, then at Lambo. _Go,_ Infinity urges. As always, he listens.

“Are you okay?” he asks, ignoring Reborn’s displeasure in favor of kneeling beside Lambo.

He sniffs, wiping at his face, before wailing, “I, Lambo-san, five years old, hitman from the Bovino Famiglia, tripped! My favorite foods are grapes and candy and I, who met Reborn at a bar, _tripped_!”

“Why was a child at a bar?” Tsuna says, lost. “Why is a _child_ a _hitman_? Reborn? Hayato?” Lambo continues to sob and he quickly takes him into his arms, patting his fluffy hair and shushing him.

(There’s pocket space in his hair, Tsuna notices. He doesn’t want to know what kinds of things are in his hair, nor does he want to know how he has pocket space in his hair in the first place. He knows it will make him angry)

“Some Families make assassins from a young age,” Hayato explains, then turns a glare on the still-sobbing Lambo. “Oi, brat! You just interrupted the Tenth’s precious study time!”

“ _Hayato_.”

Lambo’s sobbing, which had begun to quiet to sniffles, returned to wailing. “ _Mean_! You’re _stupid_!”

“What was that?” Hayato shouts.

“Hayato, you’re arguing with a _child_ ,” Tsuna says, somewhat despairingly. Unsurprisingly, Infinity is laughing again. He sighs and stands, rocking Lambo in his arms awkwardly. He doesn’t usually deal with children, but he can feel his Flames tugging him towards him and he sees the green string connecting them. “I’m going to calm him down. We can’t work like this.”

“ _Dame-Tsuna_ ,” Reborn says. “Put down the child. We can ignore him. _You_ need to get your grades up.”

“I’m not going to ignore one of my Bonded for _school_ ,” Tsuna argues.

“A mafia boss must always—“

“I’m not going to be a mafia boss!” Immediately, his eyes went wide as Reborn’s eyes went dark. Nobody interrupts Reborn. But Tsuna has more important matters to attend to and a tugging Bond in his chest, so he darts out of the room to the bathroom, silently sending apologies to Reborn.

 

_iii._

“How did you meet Reborn again?” Tsuna asks faux-casually as he wipes at Lambo’s cheeks with a paper towel.

“My-my boss,” Lambo sniffs, “when he took me to a bar for the first time, Reborn was sitting there. We talked a lot. Wh-while I was eating, Reborn was blowing bubbles with his nose.”

“Oh…” Tsuna bites back another sigh. “Lambo, that means Reborn was sleeping.”

“What? No way! His eyes were open!” Lambo argues.

“He does that. He was sleeping, though, Lambo.”

Tsuna is prepared when Lambo starts wailing again, but he still flinches at the loud noise. He gathers him in his arms and pats his head, quietly shushing him in an attempt to get him to be quiet again. Luckily, Reborn is a master at ignoring issues he doesn’t want to deal with (namely, children who aren’t a part of his contract) and Hayato is probably too busy debating on what to do to barge in and make things worse.

A soft knock on the door and the soft glow coming from the crack underneath signals his mother’s arrival. “Tsu-kun? Is everything alright in there?”

“Yes, Mama! Lambo is just—ah, Lambo, shh—just a little upset again!” he calls. Lambo isn’t anywhere close to becoming quiet again. Tsuna hadn’t known that anyone could make so much noise.

Nana hums. “Hm, well. I bought grape candy the other day. Do you think Lambo-chan would be willing to calm down if I gave them to him?”

Lambo abruptly stops at that, letting out tiny sniffles but otherwise no longer sobbing. “Grape? I like grape! Give me candy!” His small fists hit Tsuna’s chest and Tsuna lets out a relieved sigh.

“Let’s clean you up again first.” Lambo opens his mouth to protest, but Tsuna cuts him off. “You won’t get candy if you don’t get cleaned up.” Sullenly, he nods his head, and doesn’t protest as Tsuna wipes his face once again.

 

_iv._

“Now, Lambo-chan,” Nana says idly, Lambo in her arms, “who did you come here with?” Namimori is a strange place. Kyoya is a _peace-keeper_. Assassins pretend to be civilians. Bombs go off and no one bats an eye. But even they would notice a child leaving the airport alone.

Lambo wrinkles his nose. “The purple lady. She was mean and a lot of people fell asleep after eating with her.” Hayato pales. Reborn smiles viciously. Tsuna feels a sense of dread.

“That would be the assistant I asked to help,” Reborn says. “She’ll teach him how to cook.”

(Something tells Tsuna that it won’t be _cooking_ that he learns)

“Oh, how nice! Will she be here soon?” Nana asks.

“I can call her now.”

“Tenth.” Hayato grips Tsuna’s shoulders, eyes downcast and weary. His song has taken to an annoying, clanging noise. Tsuna doesn’t like it. “I deeply apologize but I have to leave right now. I probably won’t be back for the rest of the day.”

“Why’s that, Hayato-kun?” Nana’s eyebrows furrow in worry.

“Bianchi is Gokudera’s older sister,” Reborn explains. “Apparently, they have a bad relationship with each other.” Hayato bows his head as though ashamed. Tsuna frowns. The discordant melody grates as much as lies do, but Hayato has nowhere else to stay. He wouldn’t dare ask to stay at Takeshi’s for the night either, much less Kyoya’s. Tsuna doesn’t want to force him to spend the night outside.

“Where will you stay?” he asks.

“I-I can rent a room in an inn!” Hayato declares. Nana frowns and looks at Tsuna. Infinity says, _Whether or not they reconcile is of less importance._ He shrugs at his mother.

With a sigh, she says, “Absolutely not. I can’t let you spend money like that. How about you stay in your room until she leaves, okay? I won’t make you face her if you don’t wish to.”

“I-I-I!”

“It’s decided,” Tsuna says before Hayato can find any words to disagree. As expected, his shoulders slump, and he nods.

 

_v._

Tsuna can feel her approach before he smells the _poison_ radiating from whatever she’s carrying. There’s a small curse on her, making it so all of her creations do nothing but kill. She also, he notes as he sifts through the tangled strings of her _being_ , has learned to take advantage of her curse. With no magical ability at all, she has managed to limit it to cooking and keep it from destroying everything around her. For a cursed assassin, she has enough love in her to break the curse, just a little.

But the foreboding doesn’t leave as she gets closer to the door. When she knocks, Infinity says, _Take the piano boy to his room._ Before Hayato can begin to panic, Tsuna ushers him upstairs.

“Don’t worry,” he tells him. “We’ll make sure she doesn’t come up here.” He smiles. Hayato eyes tear up, but he doesn’t start immediately crying, which is something of a relief. Tsuna doesn’t know how to comfort crying people.

“Be safe, Tenth!” he says loudly, then winces. His eyes dart to the side, as though scared his sister would appear. “I’ll stay here then. I apologize again for leaving you alone!” Tsuna nods and lets him close the door. He turns back to the stairs and dread fills his stomach. There’s something waiting for him. He hears his mother greet the woman, Bianchi, and then say something about having to go next door for a bit. Something is supposed to happen that she can’t be around for. _Go,_ says Infinity.

He reaches the bottom of the steps and is faced with a beautiful purple-haired woman with a sharp smile on her face. Now that he sees her, he sees how her whole _being_ is full of _color, love, affection, adoration_. Tsuna can’t help but stare. This is a woman who doesn’t let a curse destroy her and he can see why.

“So you’re the boy that’s taken my dear Reborn away,” she murmurs, eyes narrowed. In her hands is what looks to be a pizza box. There’s a sickening _purple-and-blue_ radiating from the box. It’s not pizza.

“Bianchi is my fourth lover,” Reborn says, as though that’s some sort of explanation. Tsuna isn’t sure of the truth of that statement. The Arcobaleno were turned into infants years before Bianchi must have been born, according to Skull. Tsuna’s mother had corroborated the story. She had been a little girl when she met the Skull who still looked eighteen and it was only a few years later that she met him again looking like a baby. At most, Bianchi would have just been born.

“I brought pizza.” Bianchi holds up the box. Her smile is dangerous. “Why don’t you have some?”

Tsuna looks to the box hesitantly. At the look on her face, he takes it. The smell is strong and clearly unsanitary and yet he doesn’t want to know what might happen if he doesn’t eat it. He opens the box and he’s not sure what it is that he’s seeing, but it’s definitely not food.

Lambo doesn’t seem to notice. “Dame-Tsuna, give!” he demands, tugging on the leg of Tsuna’s pants.

“Lambo, no, wait—“ Tsuna tries, but Lambo refuses to hear it. He practically climbs over him, making a grab for the “pizza” and stuffing a slice into his mouth. His face turns a sickly green. Quickly, he spats it out back into the box and holds his tongue out.

“Gross!” he shouts. Bianchi’s face turns red and she lunges forward to grab at him.

“ _Brat_! That was for the Decimo! How am I supposed to kill him if you _ruin things_? And how _dare_ you insult my cooking!” she screeches, practically throttling him.

“B-Bianchi-san—“ Tsuna says, deciding to ignore the attempted assassination.

“Tol…er…ate…” Lambo chokes out, eyes watery with tears. “I can’t!” From his hair, he removes a pink machine—a bazooka. Tsuna’s heart stutters in his chest. He freezes. There’s an energy releasing from the bazooka, whispers of _paths_ and _choices_ and _lines_ and _futures_ that shouldn’t be coming from a machine. It’s not possible. It shouldn’t be possible. _Wrong,_ Infinity says. **_This is wrong._**

“Lambo, where did you get that?” Tsuna asks frantically, about to step forward to intervene when Lambo shoots. At himself.

A pink smoke emerges, knocking Bianchi back and obscuring all of their visions. But Tsuna can still feel. He can feel the _rush_ of a clock moving forward and the whispers of lives that have yet to be lived. Someone stands in the middle of it all, and Tsuna can immediately feel that they’re displaced.

( _Tick-tock-tick-tock-tick-tock,_ sings the smoke, swirling around the new figure before fading from sight. But it’s there, still. Faint, and waiting to return to the future)

“Yare, yare,” yawns the person, “my younger self is always causing trouble.” The hair is smaller on him, but still the same, and his style hasn’t changed much either. His Fire burns bright and green still, electricity crackling through his veins. His similarly green _string_ fades into a time that isn’t theirs.

“L-Lambo,” Tsuna stammers.

Lambo—ten years too old and _wrong_ —smiles uneasily at him. “Hi, Tsuna-nii. Sorry about this.”

“Why— _how_ is this _possible_?” Tsuna asks, choking on the words. The smoke, disappeared from view but still around, feels like it’s crawling all over him, giving him painful reminders that _this should not be_.

“The Ten Year Bazooka, created by the Bovino Family,” Reborn explains as he hops on to Tsuna’s shoulder. “It causes the victim to be switched with their own self ten years into the future, but only for five minutes.”

“ _No normal human should be able to do this,_ ” Tsuna breathes.

Skull had told him a little bit about the woman that could see into the future. _An anomaly that passes down through her family,_ he had explained. _A woman with Sight so deluded from an ancestor of years and years ago that she only inherited an ability that should not exist in her,_ Infinity had elaborated. It hadn’t seemed possible and now Tsuna remembers the story because normal humans shouldn’t have the power to look into the future. The future is made up of paths, forks in the numerous roads, and are only seen by _seers_ in vague premonitions and elements and the occasional vision. It’s not possible and yet the bazooka exists.

“Sorry, Tsuna-nii,” Lambo repeats, looking stricken. “You tell us later. Endure a few more minutes of this okay? Then take the bazooka out.” Then, abruptly, his demeanor shifts and he glares at Reborn. “This is your fault, Reborn. Tsuna-nii is having trouble because you keep bringing trouble into his house!” Electricity crackles, this time visible to everyone and not just Tsuna. “How about I show you how much stronger I’ve become?” His body shifts, readying into a stance set to charge.

“Romeo?” Bianchi calls softly, having regained her bearings after being caught in the smoke. “Romeo, is that you?” Lambo pales, stance dropping.

“Oh no. No, no, I’m not Romeo!” he exclaims, but Bianchi doesn’t seem to listen.

Tears well in her eyes. “Oh Romeo, I thought you were dead! I-I-!” She sniffs. Then her eyes turn deadly. “I’ll _kill you_!” She pulls _something_ from her pockets and chucks it at him. He dodges and the substance hits the wall, making it sizzle. Tsuna starts. That’s not normal.

“Stop! You’ll destroy the house!” he shouts as Bianchi takes to chasing Lambo in and out of numerous rooms. Neither of them notice.

“Romeo was Bianchi’s ex-boyfriend,” Reborn says, smiling blankly and appearing at peace with the destruction around him. Tsuna can’t bring himself to be surprised. Chaos favors him and he doesn’t mind it at all. “I believe she found out he cheated on her. He soon died of food poisoning. Odd, isn’t it?” Tsuna doesn’t have time to consider the statement. He’s too busy watching as the questionable creations called _food_ slowly begin to erode his walls.

“ _Tenth_?” To make matters worse, Hayato stomps down the stairs in a panic as he hears the ruckus going on. “Tenth, is everything— _Aneki_!” He chokes as he sees Bianchi for the first time and he abruptly falls to the ground.

“ _Hayato_?” Tsuna rushes to his side. “Hayato, hang in there!” He checks his head. No bleeding. Bianchi has a hand around Lambo’s neck and _something_ in her hand, but she stops to look at her fallen brother.

“Oh, Hayato!” A soft yellow pulsates from her, momentarily distracting Tsuna by the feeling of _affection, concern_ coming from her. She drops what she has in her hands to kneel beside Hayato. “He must have been so happy to see his older sister that he fainted.” She smiles, but it cracks along her face. The false words scratch at Tsuna’s ears. She knows perfectly what she does to him and she hates it.

Lambo crawls nearer to Tsuna, keeping a wary eye on Bianchi while still focusing his attention on him. “My time is almost up, but it’s nice seeing you mini-sized again,” he says, smiling shakily. “You’re doing just fine in my future. Your _balance_ is long restored, too. I hope my future is close to the one you get.”

Tsuna’s body tingles the nearer he is to someone displaced, but he still smiles and pats his head despite the discomfort. “Thanks, Lambo.” The clock goes off as five minutes pass. The older Lambo disappears in another puff of pink smoke, and this time, the world feels right again. The present Lambo sits, confused, with a lollipop in his mouth. Tsuna is quick to snatch the bazooka from him, willing the whispers inside of it to quiet and allow him to think.

“I’m taking this,” he announces. To whom, he’s not sure, but they need to know. “We’re not using it again.”

Reborn’s eyebrows furrow. He doesn’t look displeased, but he’s not happy either. “Dame-Tsuna—“

“Reborn,” he cuts him off. He knows he’ll pay for it later, just like he’ll pay for the interrupted study session. “Reborn, I’m going along with this stupid mafia training, but I _won’t_ let this thing be used again. Not around me, and not around Mama either. I’m locking it away.” Something _warm_ floods through him, familiar and distant and he knows it’s bits of Flame escaping the Seal giving him the strength to speak.

Reborn bows his head, tipping his fedora over his eyes. Tsuna breathes out a quick sigh of relief and glances around. Hayato on the floor, Bianchi fussing over him, Lambo still disoriented, and bits of the walls and floorboards either gone or covered in _blue-and-purple_.

How is he going to clean this up for his mother?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically, the next Guardian/Bond has not been acquired. Tsuna hasn't built up a Bond yet. Kinda a rushed ending, sorry! I wrote the last two scenes without looking at the Lambo + Bianchi chapters so some explanations are weird. Might have to edit this chapter after I'm done for the day idk.
> 
>  **Bianchi:** How did her curse come to be? Maybe it's hereditary. Maybe someone just didn't like her when she was born. Who knows? It's not that important. It doesn't ruin her life unless she lets it, and clearly, she hasn't let it. Tsuna sees her as "colorful" because she loves very deeply, whether it's platonic or romantic, and I consider love to be "colorful." The curse on her is meant to harm--it's negative, malevolent. Plain and simple. But because she puts her everything into positive emotions like love and affection (and also partially because she's very headstrong), it's weakened on her. Why did I do this? No real reason, honestly.
> 
>  **Ten Year Bazooka:** Unlike the Creator, all humans, including _seers_ are not meant to actually catch glimpses of the future. They mostly just see omens and possibilities and symbols. Very few can actually see the future. There are too many paths, too many uncertainties, and frankly, it would drive a person insane after a while. The Ten Year Bazooka, therefore, is _very wrong_. It's not supposed to exist and goes against the very balance of nature. That's why Tsuna is so uncomfortable. It makes everything feel off-kilter, like someone forcefully ripped a piece of a puzzle out of a complete one that was glued together and then tried to put that same puzzle piece into the crevices of another spot in the puzzle. Something like that. It's just not meant to exist and it kind of breaks the world, basically.
> 
> Ughhhh I can't wait to get to the Mukuro arc. I actually know what I'm doing there and that's when canon gets derailed and Tsuna realizes some things and PLOT. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm still trying to get back into the groove of writing, but as you can see, it's not going well. Still trying though! At most, expect a chapter in two weeks and I DEEPLY APOLOGIZE if I don't actually make the deadline.


	10. apricity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Kyoko wants is happiness for herself and her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: Really weird. I thought I posted this yesterday (Sunday) but it's not showing up on the KHR tag. Hm... Mysterious.
> 
> I thought I was done with my old KHR crossover ideas, and yet the other day I was searching through my old phone and I found a memo I wrote in which Sawada Nana was originally Sohma Nana and I'm sure I had something about Tsuna turning into a cat in there. I haven't read/watched Fruits Basket in years but apparently that was a thing I was writing. Go figure.  
> Also! I finally figured out how to start the DRRR/KHR crossover so I have some of the prologue written. Most likely the fic itself will just be like, at most four chapters because I don't want to have to come up with an entire convoluted plot.
> 
> Late-ish chapter again, but surprisingly I had a majority of it finished by Saturday. I just got super lazy in figuring out the last scene. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter and most of it is just love for the Sasagawas. And yes, I'm skipping around and squishing a bunch of character introductions because they're not as important and also because I don't want to just reiterate canon introductions, but meeting the characters is still somewhat important. I'll probably end up squishing I-Pin and Fuuta into a chapter together, and then I'll have this whole thing with Dino, and _then_ we can finally get into the real stuff with Mukuro.
> 
> So, I hope you enjoy the chapter! And I hope you love the Sasagawas as much as I do.

_i._

Kyoko knows she’s not exactly the brightest person out there. Some references go right over her head and she doesn’t pay quite as much attention to certain things as she maybe should. But contrary to popular belief, Kyoko knows exactly where she stood in Namimori Middle’s social hierarchy. She is popular, pretty, universally loved—essentially, the princess of the school. She hates it. She doesn’t _care_ about being popular. She doesn’t _care_ about being pretty. She doesn’t _care_ about how everyone admires her and about how the boys would confess their love to her behind the school every so often. She doesn’t _care_ about _any_ of that. All she cares about is getting through school with Hana and making sure her brother doesn’t do anything reckless.

She isn’t like Yamamoto. He puts on a face and endures the presence of people he barely knows or likes because he can’t stand to be alone. Kyoko couldn’t do that, which is why she keeps Hana and Hana alone by her side. She will smile and offer kind words to whoever speaks to her because she doesn’t like to think of herself as a mean person, but she also doesn’t bother to expand any more effort than she has to. She doesn’t want to make friends with people who don’t care for _her_ over her reputation, and that is where she and Yamamoto had always differed.

But then there is Sawada Tsuna. He had always seemed like another one of her admirers, albeit a bit weirder and more respectful than most others. He had the same apparent adoration, but the difference was that he didn’t try any more than she was comfortable with and he genuinely liked Hana, never trying to get her to leave or ignoring her, so she had never thought bad of him, regardless of his useless reputation. He was a nice classmate to be around.

Recently, he’s changed and Kyoko doesn’t think it can possibly be a bad thing. It started when he had defended her from Mochida. He spoke the same riddles as always—

(Fog and light, he would say, looking at her feet and her arms, and she never knew what he meant, but maybe it meant _something_ to him. Maybe it meant something to her, too)

—and though it took a while to get it, he was telling him that she _wasn’t something to be contained and kept._ No one else—not her admirers, or the girls who wanted to be her friend, or even any teachers—had defended her. It was only ever Hana and Ryohei when Mochida was being pushy. They were the only ones who listened to her, who _knew_ her, and then there was Tsuna, whose only friend was Hibari Kyoya and who never spoke to anyone who didn’t speak to him first. He didn’t make a game out of Mochida’s demands; he had disapproved of it. No one else had thought Mochida was out of line. It was, after all, only right that she start dating so she could marry before twenty-five and become a housewife, as was expected of her.

(She doesn’t want to be a housewife. She doesn’t think she could stay in one place all the time, cooking and cleaning and gossiping with neighbors. There are things she wants to do, even if she doesn’t know what those things are yet. But she knows that she doesn’t want to be pliant. She likes to think of herself as a kind person, but that doesn’t mean she would let her life be decided _for_ her)

Tsuna was always a nice person, but now he is on her radar. What she sees is Gokudera, gravitating towards him despite his initial dislike, and then Yamamoto—cheerful, skilled, _fake_ Yamamoto—being pulled in too. Suddenly, Tsuna is _more_. Kyoko had never seen him laugh or screech or look anything other than somewhat _off_ until there were people to bring him into the real world. She hadn’t realized that he was never quite _in_ the real world until suddenly he was present. Awake.

Namimori is a town where everyone ignores the odd things that happen. Everyone knows they’re happening and they’ll acknowledge those “odd things” but they won’t pursue any more than that. They won’t try to get to the bottom of it, or freak out too much, because it’s Namimori. So Kyoko knows that, where before Tsuna’s oddities were in his blank stare and clumsiness and friendship with the town’s budding warden, his new oddities come from the people that have gathered around him and his new habit of running around inside and outside of town.

Hana doesn’t want her getting involved. Kyoko isn’t sure what she would be getting involved in. But Tsuna is making waves and she wants to be a part of whatever adventure he’s in.

(She wants to be a part of something that isn’t _being a princess_ )

 

_ii._

“Eh?” Kyoko blinks at Haru, surprised by the name that just came from her mouth. “’Tsuna-san’? You don’t mean Sawada Tsuna? With the fluffy brown hair?”

Haru nods emphatically. Her eyes are bright and excited. “Yes! Do you know him?”

“We’re classmates, actually. I like to think we’re friends.” Kyoko smiles, genuinely happy that two of her friends have met and seem to like each other.

Kyoko had met Haru during one of her indulgent days. They bonded over cake, and then found out that they both had the same ritual of eating cake every so often to treat themselves. Becoming friends afterwards took no time at all, and now, it seems, Haru has become infatuated with Tsuna.

“Wow! That’s amazing!” Haru gushes. “We should all hang out together! Oh, and he can bring his adorable little brothers too!”

“Siblings? I thought Tsuna-kun was an only child…”

“There were two little boys living with him, so they must be brothers!” She drops her fist into her palm, looking determined. Kyoko thinks about the baby she had met, Reborn, the day Mochida challenged Tsuna in a match and nods. It’s plausible enough.

“It would be nice to hang out with Tsuna-kun,” she decides. “We should invite him somewhere sometime.” Because Tsuna is a curious person. Because she has never managed to talk to him outside of passing conversations. Because she wants to know about the Tsuna who shows himself to Gokudera and Yamamoto and Hibari, and she wants to know what it is about him that pulls people in.

(There is no string attaching her to him. There is no _fate_ or _inevitability_ for them, but there is _chance_. A _chance_ for something)

_iii._

Miraculously, Tsuna agrees to going out with her and Haru. He sounded confused when he accepted, but not reluctant, so Kyoko took that as a win.

“Onii-chan, I’m going out!” she calls as she slips on her shoes the following Sunday.

“Where are you going, Kyoko?” Ryohei asks, slipping into the front room.

“I’m meeting up with Haru-chan and Tsuna-kun today,” she answers. She’s told Ryohei about Tsuna before, mostly in passing, but recently she’s found herself talking about the things Tsuna has been getting up to. The stories never failed to get him excited—and curious.

“Tsuna? You mean the boy who EXTREMELY helped you out with Mochida?”

“Yup! That’s the one!”

Ryohei adopts an oddly intense look of concentration. Kyoko waits, and then he says, with a bright grin, “I’m coming with you!”

She can only hope he won’t cause any trouble.

 

_iv._

If there was one thing Kyoko had been expecting, it wasn’t this. Tsuna, for all that he hung around eccentric and energetic people, is a timid person. He doesn’t like confrontation; he always ran before anyone could try—not that they would, because everyone feared Hibari’s retaliation.

So when Ryohei ambushed Tsuna, she had expected stammers and an attempt to back away from the situation. Not an easy acceptance.

“I don’t think I can join your boxing club,” Tsuna says thoughtfully, not even trying to pull his hands away from where Ryohei has them clutched tightly. “I have a busy schedule, but your _fire_ burns very _bright_ and your _presence_ is healing. I think I’d like to stop by the club room some time though.” He smiles, open and unhesitating and Kyoko finds herself more surprised than she probably should be. Ryohei is an intense—or, as he would put it, _extreme_ —person. He scares his club members and classmates because they don’t know how to handle him. Despite how friendly he is, he doesn’t have a lot of people who are willing to spend time with him because of how he is.

She should have expected it, then, when Tsuna—in the face of Ryohei demanding he join his boxing club with his loud, booming voice—did nothing but tilt his head and look at Ryohei like there was something about him that was _important_ , something more than just an idiot that didn’t know how to calm down every once in a while. He _looks_ at him and barely flinches and Kyoko thinks that this is the same as how Tsuna looks at Gokudera and Yamamoto too. And she doesn’t think she can really complain.

(Of course she wouldn’t complain. Her brother is gentle for all that he is enthusiastic. He cares about her _so much_ and he tries his best to make her happy, joining the boxing club to burn off energy after she got scared for him when he started fighting. There’s only so much she can do in return for all that he does for her. If Tsuna can become his friend—if Tsuna can give Ryohei more people to befriend and care for and who can care for him back, then she won’t complain.

Ryohei wants her to be happy. Kyoko wants him to be happy too)

“Hey, bastard! How dare you grab the Tenth like that?” Gokudera barks, interrupting Ryohei before he can go on another excited spiel.

“What was that?” Ryohei narrows his eyes at Gokudera. “Who are you, octopus head? I’m trying to gather a new recruit! Kyoko tells me that Tsuna is a very EXTREME person, after all! He needs to be a part of my boxing club!” Tsuna blinks and rubs his eyes when the grin is turned on him. He mutters something about ‘I’ve never seen something so bright’, which she doesn’t blame him. Ryohei’s grins are very bright.

“O-octopus head?” Gokudera gapes. Beside him, Yamamoto laughs and Kyoko smiles distantly at how, for once, the sound isn’t plastic.

“It fits you, Hayato!” Yamamoto chuckles.

“Who said you can call me by my name, baseball idiot?” Gokudera shoots back, grabbing hold of the front of his shirt.

“Sawada, I’ve decided!” Ryohei declares, turning back to Tsuna. “Let’s have a match! I want to see if you’re really as EXTREME as Kyoko said you were! I don’t doubt she was telling the truth, but I must see for myself!”

“Um… hm, that’s a bit…” Tsuna glances to the side, uncertain. He bites his lip, then nods. “Well, okay. Sure, Sasagawa-senpai.”

At that, Gokudera lets go of Yamamoto to interrupt again. “W-wait! Tenth, you can’t just—“

“EXTREME! Let’s go to the school right now!” Ryohei grabs Tsuna’s wrist and speeds off, leaving Gokudera in the dust.

“That bastard!” Gokudera shouts and immediately runs after them.

“Haha! Looks like we’re heading to the school!” Yamamoto laughs and follows. “Ahh, I hope Hibari-san doesn’t get mad at us.”

“Hahi! Kyoko-chan, your brother just stole Tsuna-san! We have to go after them! I didn’t come here just to not spend time with my future husband!” Haru declares, face red in anger. Kyoko bites back an exasperated, if somewhat amused, sigh.

“Sure, Haru-chan! That’s what I was thinking too!” Kyoko nods. Haru beams. Together, they link arms and go after the boys.

 

_v._

Tsuna is not an athletic person, clearly. There’s not much muscle on him and he can’t do much in terms of attacking. He’s surprisingly adept at dodging each punch thrown his way. It’s more than Kyoko can say for most of the other members of the boxing club.

“You’re EXTREMELY graceful, Sawada!” Ryohei booms, throwing another punch that Tsuna moves away from. “But you can’t win a match if you just keep dodging!”

“I’m trying to delay the inevitable!” Tsuna says.

“Fight me!”

“You can do it Tsuna-san!” Haru cheers.

“Hm…” Ryohei’s Master Pao Pao hums, stroking the beard on his small chin. Kyoko doesn’t remember where he came from or how Ryohei came to know him, but she doesn’t mind his presence. Maybe he can teach Ryohei a thing or two.

“What is it, Master Pao Pao?” Kyoko asks.

“Tsuna needs to go on the offensive,” Master Pao Pao says solemnly. “He won’t get anywhere like this.” He hops off of his perch and disappears. Kyoko blinks, but brushes it off and returns to watching the match. Thirty seconds later, she gasps as Tsuna and Ryohei both collapse.

“Tsuna-san!”

“Onii-chan!”

Kyoko grips Haru’s hand, holding her breath, but Tsuna and Ryohei are quickly on their feet again. She exhales. Tsuna has a new burning motivation in his eyes.

“ _Complete the Bond of summer days with my Dying Will!_ ”

Tsuna has said that often— _Dying Will_. It means something, though Kyoko doesn’t know what. As she watches him, watches him move with much more grace than ever before and more determination than before, she wonders if maybe it’s a phrase that gets him pumped. Maybe it’s like _extreme_ is for Ryohei.

Tsuna lands a hit. It’s just one hit, and it knocks Ryohei out of the ring. Kyoko spares a moment to admire his apparent strength before rushing to Ryohei’s side.

“Ah! I’m so sorry!” Tsuna hops out of the ring to kneel on his other side. “I didn’t think that would happen. I’m really sorry.” He winces, but Kyoko smiles at him. Ryohei has taken harder hits. She knows just what his reaction will be.

With an enthusiastic roar, Ryohei stands to his feet, dragging Tsuna with him. “SAWADA! You’re even more EXTREME than I thought you were! You definitely belong in the club!” Kyoko can’t help but laugh. Ryohei looks invigorated, more so than usual. Seeing him so happy makes her _so_ happy.

“I still don’t think I can join your club, Sasagawa-kun,” Tsuna says. He’s smiling.

“Call me Onii-san!” Ryohei booms, grin stretching across his face. “Kyoko likes you and I like you even _more_ now that I know how EXTREME you are!”

“Sure, Onii-san.”

“Welcome to the family Tsuna-kun!” Kyoko says happily. It’s an unexpected development, but not unwelcome.

“Hahi! Kyoko-chan, that means we’ll be sisters when Tsuna-san and I get married!” Haru chirps.

“How exciting!” Kyoko giggles.

“Wh-what? Tenth, you’re not--!” Gokudera gasps, hand on his chest. Yamamoto is practically wheezing as he holds on to Gokudera’s shoulder.

“Ah, perfect,” Master Pao Pao says, appearing back on top of Tsuna’s head. “Welcome to Dame-Tsuna’s Family, Sasagawa Ryohei.” Tsuna opens his mouth to say something.

The door slams open. Hibari stands in the doorway, shoulders tense and eyes set in a menacing glare. Silence rings across the room, and then he growls, “ _Lynx_ …”

“Kyoya-senpai!” Tsuna squeaks.

“ _Stop bringing your pack to the school! I’ll bite you all to death!_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyoya is the best way to end every scene and that is #fact. Also I have no idea how to write Ryohei jesus christ.  
> Anyway give the Sasagawa siblings more love 2k18. Especially Ryohei, though if you couldn't tell, I love Kyoko a lot too. Give her more development you cowards. But seriously, why is there a distinct lack of Ryohei in this fandom?  
> Unfortunately not a lot of Haru and there was no Hana, but apparently those two didn't want to have a very large part in this chapter. Ugh. OTL
> 
> According to my Japanese teacher from last year, girls in Japan are expected to get married very early or else they're considered... something to do with Christmas cake idk. Whatever the metaphor was, basically girls are supposed to get married early and fulfill the role of the housewife because that's the natural order. My Kyoko isn't exactly okay with that, but she doesn't know what to do other than ignore everyone's expectations of her and stick to the people that actually think about what she wants rather than what fits the mold. So that's what I'm doing with Kyoko.
> 
> As I said, I'll probably try and put I-Pin and Fuuta together in one chapter, and then Dino gets his time to shine (and I'm already laughing at some of their interactions because there may or may not be a scene where Tsuna climbs through a window and spooks him) and then PLOT. God I can't wait for plot.  
> Thanks for reading everyone! I'll try my best to write as fast as I can!


	11. empyrean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The winds beckon their child, and so the stars beckon theirs too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A list of KHR things I wrote/thought of instead of writing this chapter:  
> -bits and pieces of the DRRR crossover  
> -at least three different Natsume Yuujinchou crossovers  
> -in which Tsuna is asexual and terrified until someone calls him an idiot  
> -a fic with absolutely no plot that is only written through linear word prompt drabbles until some sort of plot comes from them  
> -the first part of the Mukuro arc up to scene iii because I have no self-control whatsoever  
> -a group chat fic with way too many mentions of Hatoful Boyfriend (which was a good game okay it made me cry)
> 
> But hey! I got this chapter out even though it's late! It's pretty rushed honestly and I forgot about Shamal, so I just kind of squeezed him in there. I really did mean to write this yesterday! But then, uh, Mob Psycho 100 and Deadpool 2 happened. So.
> 
> Anyway, I at least hope you enjoy this! As always, it deviates from the manga/anime because I don't want things to be exactly the same and just end up reiterating everything.

_i._

Tsuna latches on to Kyoya, effectively pinning his arm down before he can bite him to death for being late. “Kyoya-senpai! There’s a baby dragon in town!” he exclaims. “She’s very young, which is bad for baby dragons, but she has your scent! Well, actually, she has the same _imprint_ that you do and there’s a similar scent lingering on her.”

“What,” Kyoya says.

Tsuna lets go of him and lets his mind clear. In his haste to talk to Kyoya, his _vision_ had become too bright and noticeable. “The baby dragon,” he repeats. “She has a similar _imprint_ on her, and someone with a _presence_ a lot like yours has been hanging around her. She’s alone now, though, so the scent is fading, but it’s still there.”

Kyoya frowns, eyebrows furrowing. There are four _imprints_ on him—two from his parents, one from Tsuna, and one from the man he refuses to admit relation to. “Where is the dragon?” he demands.

“Not sure,” Tsuna says, head tilted as he tries to follow the _presence_ of the dragon. “She’ll appear again sometime today. She’s on a mission.”

“Tell me when you see her, _immediately_.”

“Of course, Kyoya-senpai.”

Kyoya then smacks him over the head with his tonfa, glare returning full-force. “You’re late to class, Lynx!”

“Ow…”

 

_ii._

The baby dragon appears as lunch begins—why is it always lunch?—and proceeds to attack Tsuna, babbling in a language he doesn’t understand. Considering the way Tsuna’s life has been going recently, this comes as no surprise. Her weird psychic-like ability isn’t all that surprising either. He’s a bit more worried about the fact that someone has left a baby dragon to fend for herself. Everyone knows that small creatures need guidance for much longer than the baby dragon has been given.

“Kyoya-senpai!” Tsuna slams the roof door open and ducks in time for a small foot to come flying past him. Kyoya catches the tiny body and holds her up to his face, eyes narrowed. The girl, shocked, does nothing but stare.

“Ah, so you’ve met I-Pin, the Human Bomb.” Reborn appears on the roof beside them. “She’s an assassin from Hong Kong.”

Kyoya’s eyes narrow dangerously. “Lynx, is this the one?”

Tsuna nods. Kyoya begins to speak in the language Tsuna doesn’t know, but I-Pin doesn’t respond. Her face turns a steadily brighter red, until a number of odd circles appears on her forehead. Immediately, she latches on to Kyoya’s neck.

“The Pinzu Explosion,” Reborn says solemnly. “I-Pin is known for her extreme shyness, and when that reaches its peak, the Nine-Pin appears on her forehead. It will count down until she explodes. The explosion can cause the equivalent of a small crater and she has a habit of attaching herself to the nearest person during the countdown.”

“ _Oh no._ ” Tsuna rushes to help Kyoya pry her off of him. Her grip is annoyingly strong, but they manage to get her off of him. Tsuna looks around frantically. He doesn’t know what to do with an _exploding child_. He has seen a lot of things—he _is_ a _seer_ —but no one ever told him he would have to deal with a child who can explode.

 _Yamamoto,_ Infinity says idly.

 _What?_ Tsuna asks, and doesn’t get an answer. Takeshi chooses that moment to enter, laughing at whatever Hayato is trying to argue with him about.

“Takeshi, think fast!” Tsuna tosses I-Pin at Takeshi without thinking—did he _really just throw a child because Infinity told him to?_ —and Takeshi’s eyes brighten. Automatically, Takeshi catches her and proceeds to toss her into the air.

"Whoops!" He laughs sheepishly as he notices he had just thrown something. Tsuna blinks at the explosion that passes harmlessly in the air followed by I-Pin falling back to the roof.

Well, at least it worked.

 

_iii._

Reborn is sulking in the corner.

Actually, he’s standing and his face is blank, which is pretty much the equivalent of sulking, because Kyoya beats him to translating for I-Pin. Tsuna carefully doesn't look.

“So she was told to kill a man in a picture…” Tsuna tilts his head. “Something isn’t right about that.”

“Nobody other than close allies like the Chiavarone know your identity,” Reborn pipes up.

Kyoya says something to I-Pin and she easily hands over a photograph. His face darkens at the picture. It’s either a sign of displeasure or exasperation. Then he hands the photo to Tsuna. The person in the photograph looks nothing like him. He isn’t an overweight middle-aged man with black hair, after all.

“I-Pin also happens to has incredibly bad vision,” Reborn says. A mischievous smirk crosses his face. Sometimes, Tsuna wishes he could be more shocked by these things. Reborn pulls a pair of glasses from seemingly nowhere and slips them on to I-Pin’s face. Upon taking another look at the photograph, what sounds like profuse apologies spill from her lips.

“Ah, Kyoya-senpai, can you tell her that it’s okay? And also ask if she has anywhere to stay?” Tsuna asks, glancing at where Kyoya went to lean against the wall. Kyoya narrows his eyes at him, then at I-Pin, but reluctantly translates.

“She says she has only just arrived, so she doesn’t know where she’s staying,” he mutters, arms crossed.

“Well, that’s that then. Mama likes having a full house. I-Pin-chan, it looks like you’re staying with us.” Tsuna smiles.

“She’s one of _that man’s_ ,” Kyoya says. It would sound like a protest if he would ever let himself sound petulant.

“She’s a baby dragon, Kyoya-senpai,” Tsuna says. “The wind dictates where she settles, and she is meant to settle here.” As if in confirmation, the wind purrs its approval and immediately, his suspicions are confirmed: I-Pin is meant to be one of _his_.

( _How many children will be staying with us?_ he wonders later. It’s not a question to Infinity, and yet they answer.

_There is one more._

“Oh my god…” Tsuna groans, sinking his head into his arms. Reborn stares at him, but doesn’t ask)

 

_iv._

Tsuna feels the moment the Prophet sets foot in Namimori. The stars shine blindingly above at the arrival of their _seer_ and the ground trembles in anticipation. The clouds part and the air shimmers. Tsuna blinks, tilting his head as he reaches for the small ribbons of power stretching along the town. It’s weak.  The Prophet is nothing but a fledgling as he is.

 _Is this the last child?_ he asks. Infinity’s happy laughter is his only response.

He does not meet the Prophet until he feels their power centered around the middle school. He stops abruptly in the middle of the field and looks around. He grasps at the ribbons, following their trail and noticing it leads around the corner. He shifts its feet to follow.

“ _Sawada_!” The ball is kicked forcefully in this direction. Tsuna snaps to attention, but it’s too late. The ball smashes into his head and then rolls away. Tsuna clutches his nose, but keeps his eyes squinted open. The wind ushers the ball in the direction of the _seer._

“What an airhead…” someone mutters.

“Idiot. Oi! Dame-Tsuna, go grab the ball!” someone else says, sneering. Tsuna sighs as Hayato takes that as his cue to begin shouting. He walks up to him and tugs at his sleeve to get his attention. Hayato whips around, daggers practically shooting from his eyes until he notices who grabbed him.

“It’s fine, Hayato,” he tells him through his hand. His nose is bleeding, but it’s luckily not broken. “I have to go the nurse’s office anyway, so I’ll grab the ball before going.”

“Tenth, I can get the ball instead! You should go to the nurse right away!” Hayato insists. Takeshi appears at his side and leans an arm on his shoulder, happily ignoring the hiss he receives in return.

“He’s right Tsuna!” he says readily. “Go to the office first! It’s just a ball, haha!”

Tsuna shakes his head. “No, no, it’s fine, really.” Then, before they could continue arguing, he quickly turns away to follow the direction of the ball. The undercurrent of _distortion_ is still centralized where it had been, so the Prophet has not yet left.

He stops before he steps into the _zone._ The Prophet is nothing but a little boy with small wings dotted with stars. The ball is floating within his _zone of distortion._ He’s muttering to himself, in the midst of listening to what the _stars_ have to say. Tsuna listens.

“…sprinting ability is ranked 59,034 out of 86,202 people. Running ability is 59,012 out of 86,202 people. Stamina is ranked 58,805 out of 86,202 people. Tsuna-nii’s ranking in overall abilities is…”

 _Ah,_ Tsuna realizes. The boy is ranking _him._ He thinks his ranking isn’t all that bad, and he knows that he has Skull to thank for that. He had made sure that, at the very least, Tsuna would be able to run away as fast and as long as he could before he left.

The boy settles back on the ground and the ball bounces past Tsuna. He takes no notice. “Tsuna-nii has been doing well in the past six months,” the boy says happily to himself. “I’ll write it down.” He pulls a giant book from a pocket space in his jacket and sets it down to write. Tsuna waits. Prophet recordings are serious and should not be interrupted lest they’re forgotten.

Once the boy finishes writing, Tsuna says, “Hello, Little Prophet. Did the stars bring you here?”

The boy looks up and beams. “Hi Tsuna-nii! You’re number one unable to refuse a request, so I came! Ah…” His face falls and he looks concerned. “Tsuna-nii, you’re bleeding. Are you okay?” Tsuna touches his face. He had forgotten. His face twinges.

“Ow.” He holds his hand over his nose again, not quite touching. “I’m fine. I was on the way to the nurse’s office.” _Bring him,_ Infinity says at the same time the ground cracks under heavy footsteps. “Would you like to come with me to hide from whoever you’re running from?”

“Really, Tsuna-nii?” The boy’s eyes sparkle. “Okay! Thank you! My name is Fuuta!”

“Nice to meet you, Fuuta-kun.”

Tsuna leads him inside. Classes are still going on, so there aren’t many people around. Tsuna is glad he doesn’t have to explain the presence of Fuuta, who is happily humming beside him.

“Sasaki-sensei?” There’s a buzzing in the air, low and foreign and wholly different from the nurse’s usual warm hum. Sasaki-sensei also isn’t loud. Tsuna frowns at the heavy rustling he hears coming from behind one of the curtains. The sickening scent of _malevolence_ isn’t in their air, so he isn’t worried, but… he’s cautious. “Sasaki-sensei, I got hit with a ball again.” Quietly, to Fuuta, “Go sit somewhere.” Fuuta nods and sits on a chair nearby.

“Maa, is that a boy? I don’t treat men,” yawns someone who is clearly _not_ Sasaki-sensei. Emerging from the curtains is a sleezy, scruffy-looking man whose coat is not up to standard. Tsuna eyes him disapprovingly.

“Who are you? Where’s Sasaki-sensei?”

“This is Trident Shamal,” Reborn’s voice pipes up. Tsuna looks at where he is now sitting on a bed. “He uses Trident Mosquitoes to infect his targets with those deadly diseases. He is also a renowned doctor. I’ve contracted him as a nurse in your school while Sasaki-sensei is on vacation.”

Tsuna says nothing for a moment, then sighs. “Okay. If you’re not going to help me, I’m going to clean myself up and go.” Even though no one tried to beat him up behind the school anymore, he was still clumsy. He ended up in the nurse’s office enough times to know where everything is. He absently hopes that nothing bad has happened to Sasaki-sensei.

“Sure, go ahead.” Shamal shrugs and returns to whatever he was doing. Tsuna decides to pay no notice, and also makes a mental note to keep the man away from his mother and Kyoko and Haru. Hana would kick him herself if he came near her.

“Ah, I see you’ve met Ranking Prince Fuuta as well,” Reborn continues as Tsuna goes through cabinets and cleans his face. “His rankings are one hundred percent accurate. Whenever he forms rankings, the energy in his body distorts magnetic fields and negates the effects of gravity around him. It’s rumored that his powers come from the ranking stars in a far off galaxy.”

Tsuna nods absently. “The _stars_ have a few chosen Prophets. They’ll always answer when they’re called,” he mumbles. He listens to the stars too, but only for conversation and important information. He is one of the Creator’s and so he is one of _theirs_ , but he isn’t a Prophet. He is but a messenger, and so is only privy to things of utmost importance.

“Dame-Tsuna?” Reborn says and isn’t answered.

“I guess you should stay in here until school is over, Fuuta-kun,” Tsuna says as he finishes washing his hands. “Then I’ll take you home to stay with us.”

“Da-me-Tsu-na…” Reborn repeats dangerously.

“ _Really_? Thanks Tsuna-nii!” Fuuta beams and rushes over to hug him. Tsuna hugs him back, patting him gently.

“No problem. Now…” Tsuna eyes Reborn’s rapidly darkening aura. “I have to get to class. _ByeFuutaweshouldtalkaboutstarslater_!” With that, he darts out of the office.

 

_v._

Tsuna avoids the cracking paths along the ground and takes the winding ones the fae usher him towards, effectively getting Fuuta to his house safely. Takeshi treats it as an adventure while Hayato doesn’t chooses to shout at him rather than question the 'adventure.' Reborn does nothing and Tsuna hopes to avoid  _that_  conversation for as long as possible.

“Mama! A Fledgling Prophet is staying with us!” he calls as he enters the house and waves goodbye to Takeshi. He looks around. All of the expensive vases and old pictures have been stored away.

“Welcome home Tsu-kun! Hayato-kun!” Nana bustles happily into the front room and kneels to look at Fuuta. “And hello to you too, little Prophet. Did the stars bring you?”

“Hello Himura-san! The Ranking Stars sent me to the best person to listen to my request!” Fuuta smiles. Tsuna averts his eyes. The combination of such bright light is almost on par Ryohei’s _shine_.

Nana giggles. “Call me Mama! I’ll be happy to let you stay! Oh, but no _distortion_ in the house, okay? I have very important things in here.” Fuuta nods quickly. “Great! Are you hungry? I prepared snacks!” As quickly as she came, she goes, and Fuuta is quick to follow her.

“Aren’t you worried for your mother, Dame-Tsuna?” Reborn asks slyly. “Informants are very valuable, especially ones like Fuuta. There are currently Mafiosi in Namimori looking for him. They could find you and storm the house.”

“What? We need to protect the house!” Hayato exclaims.

Tsuna hums and looks outside in time to see trails of light darting along the streets. “No, it’s fine. It’ll be taken care of.”

(There are many stories of the fae, but what those stories don’t tell are that, before they became _guardians of Earth_ , they were originally _stars_. And the fae don’t take kindly to those who try to harm their Prophets)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is a game of "how many times can I use italics in one chapter?"  
> Also, why did Fuuta call Nana "Himura" rather than "Sawada"? As a _seer_ , it's sort of like custom to address other _seers_ by the names of their family, regardless of whether or not they've changed their name. Himura is a _seer_ name, and so Fuuta addresses her as Himura rather than Sawada.
> 
>  **Winds + Stars:** The Creator, ultimately, chooses the _seers_ in the world, but that doesn't mean no other creations have their own favored. The wind favors _dragon children_ and other creatures of flight, like Kyoya, even though they don't all have the Sight. The stars, on the other hand, find favored _seers_ to turn into Prophets, so Prophets always have the Sight. Thus, I-Pin and Fuuta are children of the wind and stars, respectively. (Fun fact: Lambo is one of Tsuna's, but if he wasn't, he would be a child of the Earth)
> 
>  **Fae:** I have a lot of magical universes in my head, and in this universe, the fae can be considered a result of _falling stars_ that fell to Earth to protect it. (There are other possibilities that could come from falling stars, but we won't get into that) Since the fae were once stars, they of course know who their own children are. The fae are also tricksters at times, and very prideful--there's no way the mafia will be harming Fuuta while they're around.
> 
> Hhhhh I'm really unhappy about the lack of other characters being given screentime but I can't seem to fit many of them in here. Hopefully I can give them more lines and interactions. Also you bet your ass that once Tsuna walked away from gym, Takeshi and Hayato teamed up on everyone else in class. Tsuna comes back to the field to see all of their classmates on the ground groaning while Takeshi and Hayato have some sort of deep understanding of one another now.
> 
> We have one more chapter left before the Mukuro arc! I'm so excited to write about what happens you guys have no idea. Tsuna Does Not have a fun time with it. At all. It's awful for him, but really fun for me!  
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the children, and the magic! Writing about Fuuta was actually pretty cool and his wings are super pretty. Imagine the entire night sky in a small pair of butterfly wings--that's what they look like.


	12. blatherskite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reborn needs a second opinion on his current student.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I begin this A/N with my regularly scheduled random thoughts: I really want to post the khr groupchat fic but that may be because I've been reading way too many groupchat fics lately. But like. They're so good ok.  
> Also, finding titles for these chapters is getting progressively harder. Why did I do this to myself. Why.
> 
> Anyway I actually had this finished last week, but I wanted to complete Mukuro Arc Chapter 1 first. And then I ended up writing that "Skull is a child of a Deity" one-shot for like four days. But hey, first five scenes of Mukuro Arc are done! Idk when I'll update next though. We'll see~
> 
> I have surprisingly little to say, so onwards to the chapter!

_i._

“My new student is a piece of work,” Reborn mutters into the phone, free hand pinching the bridge of his nose. Tsuna is a piece of work that he doesn’t know what to do with. He’s fairly simple half of the time—a lot like Dino and very devoted his friends. But for the life of him, Reborn cannot follow his mindset. It seems that the only ones who _can_ understand him are Hibari, his mother, and now, Fuuta.

“I thought you said he would be an easy job,” Dino says, curious.

“I _said_ that, and he is. He’s about as useless as you.” Reborn smirks at the responding ‘hrrk’ he gets. “But he’s… confusing. He keeps running away every time I try to talk to him too, and he’s annoyingly good at running.”

“Is that why I’m coming to Namimori?”

“I need a second opinion, and I’m not sure I trust Timoteo to be completely unbiased.” Timoteo is an old friend, but Reborn had never claimed to be loyal to him. He was getting senile at his age and Reborn is unsure if he’ll ignore familial relation to make thorough observations that would lead to the correct course of action. Tsuna is a delicate matter, and he fears that if they don’t figure out what to do, then he’ll be whisked away and leave Vongola to burn.

(There was always something about Tsuna that made Reborn feel like he was only _humoring_ him. It was infuriating. It was as infuriating as it was terrifying. Because there were moments where Reborn would see Tsuna look up and laugh and it was as though he would suddenly sprout wings and fly away and nothing could stop him. And the only reason he _didn’t_ was because he had something to do. Something that Reborn wasn’t—isn’t—aware of)

“I guess… I can understand that.” Even though he isn’t there, Reborn knows that Dino just nodded to himself. He also knows that Dino _can understand._ Unlike Timoteo, Dino is more in tune to the way the world has been changing. He’s young, flexible. He hasn’t allowed the mafia to completely break down his morals. He’ll pick up on things Timoteo wouldn’t, even if Timoteo didn’t think of Tsuna as family, and more importantly, he’ll figure out if Reborn should be _worrying_ about Tsuna as much as he is.

Reborn smiles slowly. “Good. I expect you here soon.”

Dino sighs. “Yes, Reborn.”

 

_ii._

Dino inspects Tsuna’s room with incredulity and disbelief. While Reborn _could_ be offended by said disbelief, it’s mostly understandable. As he had described him, Tsuna has always seemed flighty, much like his mother, and simply overall _odd_. You wouldn’t expect his living habits to look so normal. A messy room, but not incredibly so, with homework and books scattered on his desk. There are a few odd papers pinned to his wall—mostly scribbles, or so they seem. Reborn can never be too sure. By all accounts, it’s a completely normal middle school boy’s bedroom.

“Reborn, are you sure—“

“ _Yes_ , Dino, I’m sure this kid is as weird as I say he is,” Reborn sighs, rubbing his forehead. Dino raises his hands in surrender.

“Okay, alright. What time does your student get out of school?”

“Right about now. He’ll be here soon.”

It’s ten minutes later when Reborn hears Tsuna beginning to make his way up the stairs. Unsurprisingly, Ranking Prince Fuuta is shadowing him along with Gokudera. Ever since he had begun staying in the house, he had gained some sort of admiration for Tsuna and his mother—but mostly just for Tsuna. Whenever Tsuna was home, Fuuta would be there, and Lambo and I-Pin were starting to get jealous.

(And while Fuuta had quickly taken to calling Nana “Mama”, Reborn can’t forget the first time he had addressed her. _Himura-san,_ he had said. Now why would he know her maiden name?)

“Reborn, what’s with all the Mafiosi outside?” Tsuna asks as he enters the room. He tilts his head, as he tends to, when he sees Dino. His eyes go hazy for a few seconds. Beside him, hand in Tsuna’s, Fuuta rubs his ear and makes a face. They had the same habits too, Reborn notices.

“This,” he says, ignoring their oddities and filing them away for later as he usually does, “is my former student and the tenth boss of the Chiavarone Family, Dino.” To his credit, Dino is doing a decent job at looking serious and calculating since his subordinates are around. If he has anything going for him, it’s his devotion to his subordinates.

“He’s no good!” Dino suddenly declares. Reborn takes a glance at Tsuna, who looks somewhat startled but not as off-kilter as he would have liked. Gokudera and Fuuta look offended enough for him though, so that’s something. “You don’t have the aura, the way you’re presenting yourself is awful, you don’t look very ambitious, you’re not cautious at all, you’re scrawny… You have zero disposition to be a boss.”

“Hey, the Tenth is going to be an amazing boss!” Gokudera barks, predictably.

“Yeah, Tsuna-nii has an amazing destiny! You don’t know anything, stupid horse!” Fuuta argues, also predictably.

Both are placated by a squeeze of Fuuta’s hand and a hand on Gokudera’s shoulder. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I know what I look like,” Tsuna laughs sheepishly, cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment. “Um, first, how did you get that chair in here? Second, well, uh, actually I have no idea how to respond. I mean… yes? That’s all pretty true. And I told Reborn I won’t be a mafia boss, so…” He shrugs. It’s annoying how nonchalant he is. Reborn had been hoping for "what is going on" Tsuna instead of “just going with it” Tsuna.

Dino starts laughing. It’s enough to fool everyone else, but Reborn can tell he’s a bit uneasy. “Sounds like me back when I was Reborn’s student,” he says. “I thought I’d rather see the Chiavarone burn before I became boss, but here I am. And you know, I’ll tell you the same thing Reborn told me—if you refuse…” He reaches into his jacket. “I’ll let Enzo bite you.” He whisks out his pet turtle dramatically and Tsuna stumbles back.

Reborn is satisfied by the reaction for all of two seconds before Tsuna is suddenly leaning closely to Enzo, looking curious. “Huh. You’re like water, aren’t you, little dinosaur?” His hands dance over Enzo’s head and shell, almost like he shouldn’t be touching him too harshly or quickly.

“Enzo was born from Leon,” Reborn says, hoping to shock Tsuna for once. An attempt to surprise him is the only reason he would willingly give away information. All Tsuna does is glance at him and his eyes brighten. He makes a motion to go on, and he continues reluctantly. “I gave him to Dino because he wanted a pet. He grows when he absorbs water.”

“So he is like water! I knew it!” Tsuna says triumphantly. Reborn pulls his fedora over his eyes. For someone who does so terribly in school, he does love to know things. Tsuna turns a smile on Dino and takes a few steps back. “Sorry, Dino-san. You were saying?”

Dino stares at him, bewildered. He doesn’t have any idea what just happened. And then he laughs once more. “You’re interesting, kid! Alright, I’ve decided—you’re my little brother now! Anyone who can make Reborn give information away without prompting is alright in my book.” Reborn decides to let the comment slide for now since Dino’s subordinates are around. But later is fair game.

Tsuna tilts his head again, listening to something no one else can hear. “Sure, Dino-san. You feel like a nice person.”

And isn’t that a weird sentence?

 

_iii._

Nana, somehow, isn’t very surprised by Dino’s sudden clumsiness. She swoops in as he makes a mess and dutifully cleans the table, scolding him lightly. Her heart isn’t entirely in it; she’s mostly amused. On the other side of the table, Tsuna snickers.

“So, Tsuna,” Dino says as he swallows his food, “what Family members do you have?”

“My _friends_ are Hayato, of course.” Tsuna nods his head to Gokudera and smiles. Gokudera turns bright red. “Then there’s Takeshi, and Kyoya-senpai too, and also Onii-san—that is, Ryohei, my upperclassman. Lambo’s pretty important too. Not that I-Pin and Fuuta aren’t, but.” He doesn’t complete the statement, instead shrugging his shoulders. Fuuta doesn’t look very offended, but I-Pin takes that as her cue to start arguing with Lambo over what Tsuna means. Lambo sticks out his tongue at her and laughs boisterously.

“So you almost have a full set of Guardians,” Dino says thoughtfully. “Are you sure about the kid, though?”

Tsuna blinks, face blank. “Not right now. Lambo is only five—he won’t be able to form a full Bond with me so soon when he doesn’t understand how it works.”

“Is that how Flames work?” Dino scratches the top of his head. Reborn frowns. _That’s not how Flames work._ Flames pull at each other according to compatibility and the personal relationship between two or more people. Tsuna and Lambo are _very_ compatible, and even though Lambo likes to poke fun at Tsuna, the two still adore each other. By now, the only thing keeping them from fully Harmonizing is Tsuna.

As he tends to, like he knows Reborn has been thrown off, Tsuna smiles. And then Nana swoops in, wiping down the table with a gentle, “Dino-kun.”

 

_iv._

Tsuna and Fuuta had apparently taken a liking to Enzo, because neither of them were willing to let go of the thing for a long time. As a result, Reborn couldn’t go through with his plan of letting the turtle wreak havoc across town. He postpones his test for the next day, making a mental note to tell Dino about getting Tsuna “kidnapped” to see what Gokudera and Yamamoto would do.

Reborn surprises Dino at his hotel, though it isn’t a surprise at all. Dino knew they would have to talk about what he thinks of Tsuna and the hotel is the only place they could do it.

“So?” Reborn asks.

“He’s cute!” Dino begins, smiling. It’s not all, so he waits. “He’s very sweet to his subordinates, huh? He cares a lot about the kids, too. But…” His smile drops. “You were right. He is a little odd.”

“Go on.”

“How… did he know about Enzo? And why did you willingly give him information? You never do that.”

“Tsunayoshi…” Reborn stops. Considers his words, then speaks again. “It’s either his Intuition or he is _very_ good at observation. He knows a lot of things. I try to give him information to surprise him, but it rarely ever works. He always just seems to _know_ , or at least he has some sort of idea. As I said, it must be his Intuition, or something else.”

“This ‘something else’...” Dino says hesitantly. “Is that what’s been worrying you?”

Reborn glowers. “I don’t _worry_.”

Dino flinches, but doesn’t back down. He feels a bit of pride at that; he’s come a long way since the days when he would run at the slightest movement. “You may not _worry_ , but you’re clearly concerned. And don’t think I haven’t realized that you actually _like_ this kid. You wouldn’t answer an unasked question no matter how much you were pestered if you didn’t.” At Reborn’s silence, he smiles. “I like him too, Reborn. Even though he is weird.”

“That’s beside the point,” Reborn grumbles. It’s unfortunate that he does like Tsuna.

(Tsuna is _weird_. He’s cheerful at some times and then timid at others. Sometimes he moves like he knows exactly what he’s doing and sometimes he trips over his own feet and then hits a wall before falling over a passing cat. Sometimes his voice is soft and idle and sometimes he’s screeching out of terror. His favorite habit seems to be talking in riddles that make as much sense as they don’t. He adamantly refuses to become a mafia boss, and yet he never protests against training. Tsuna is _complicated._

But at the same time, Tsuna likes to sit on the rooftops with Hibari and cloud gaze. He makes airy comments about pretty flowers and always stops to give food to stray animals if he has any. He laughs at rain and loves to reach out to the sky on sunny days. He hums happy songs on exciting days and stops to spread his arms whenever the wind blows particularly strongly. He likes all of the little, simple, easy things that everyone else ignores and Reborn hasn’t seen such _innocence_ and _love_ for the world in a long time. It’s the kind of thing that the mafia takes and _rips apart_ until you can’t see any of those things again and he doesn’t think he ever wants to see Tsuna lose that part of him.

He wouldn’t be _Tsuna_ if he wasn’t looking at the world with such wonder)

“As I said, he cares about his subordinates a lot. That’s a good trait—means he has people has can trust,” Dino says. “He’s very… space-y, though. Does he do that a lot? Stare at you like he knows something you don’t? Because it’s kind of freaky. Like, he’s adorable until he does that, and then he blinks and you’re not really sure if that actually happened except then he _smiles_.”

“He only does that when there’s something new in front of him that he likes. Congratulations—you have his approval.”

“I guess… that’s a good thing?” Reborn doesn’t answer, so Dino hurries on. “Other than all that weird stuff, he’s pretty normal. Just a kid. I was really expecting him to be weird the whole time, but he wasn’t. I haven’t seen him with the rest of his Family yet, so I can’t be certain of how great a Boss he’ll be, but overall I think he’s a good kid.”

Reborn nods. There’s not much else to say. It’s a good enough assessment and it’s impossible to glean everything about Tsuna immediately. “Good job, Idiot-Dino. Don’t worry, I have an assessment prepared for tomorrow.”

“Ah. I should probably be worried about him, huh?”

He knows him too well.

 

_v._

“Hayato! Takeshi! Stop it! Ky—“ Tsuna chokes, staring at Hibari in shock. “ _Kyoya-senpai? Onii-san?_ Why are you two here?”

“Haha! Hey Tsuna!” Yamamoto waves cheerfully, one hand still gripping the suit of one of the Momokyokai men. The man is unconscious already and thoroughly beaten. Reborn is kind of proud. “I called them! I thought they’d like to help rescue you!”

“Sawada! You’re EXTREMELY safe!” Sasagawa’s words are punctuated by a punch in another man’s face. The man is sent flying.

“All of you, stop it right now! I was never actually kidnapped!” Tsuna’s eyes are wide with horror. Gokudera stops, and Yamamoto had already let the man in his hand go. Hibari just blazes on through another door, looking for the boss. “Takeshi, how did you even _get_ their numbers?”

“Hayato knows everything!” Yamamoto says brightly.

“I never gave you permission to use my name!” Gokudera snaps.

“ _That explains nothing!_ ” Tsuna shrieks. “Oh God, I don’t have time for this. Kyoya-senpai is probably—Kyoya-senpai!” He trips over a few bodies as he sprints through the door that Hibari had disappeared into. “ _Kyoya-senpai you cannot just take over an entire yakuza gang!_ ”

“This is dedication,” Dino says, staring at all the bodies with approval. “I’m impressed. Are you sure these kids are normal? Other than Smokin’ Bomb Hayato.”

“They’ve been training with us for a while, and Sasagawa is a boxer,” Reborn says. Then he looks at the kids, who have started pushing the unconscious men towards the walls. “Shouldn’t you be going after your Boss?”

Gokudera gasps. “You’re right, Reborn-san! We should—“

“Sawada can EXTREMELY deal with Hibari on his own!” Sasagawa interrupts confidently. Yamamoto nods his agreement.

“Yup! If there’s anyone who can deal with Hibari, it’s Tsuna! They’ve been like that since elementary,” he adds.

(Reborn still hasn’t gotten a story behind their friendship. When he tried asking Yamamoto, all he had gotten was a shrug and a, “They were just friends one day, and Hibari started beating up anyone who hurt Tsuna.” He asked Sasagawa, but all he knew was that Tsuna had kept Hibari from beating him up a few times in the past. Nana had done nothing but laugh and call Hibari and Tsuna’s friendship a good bond.

Tsuna’s answer had been some talk about _destiny_ and _bird keepers_. Reborn understood none of it)

It takes no time at all for Tsuna to return with Hibari trailing behind him sullenly. Tsuna still looks a little panicked and he’s stumbling over his words as he tries to tell him that _no_ , the yakuza _cannot_ be integrated into a middle school Disciplinary Committee _that makes no sense_.

“Lynx, _you_ don’t make sense,” Hibari responds, giving him a _look_. Reborn hates that _look_ because it means there’s something he isn’t saying and Reborn can’t figure out what lies beneath. Tsuna always understands, and he scowls.

“But that’s different,” he protests. Hibari nods to assuage him. It doesn’t work.

“I will tell Mother and Father about this,” he says, changing the subject. Tsuna groans.

“You’re _actually_ going to—whatever. I shouldn’t be surprised anymore.” He buries his face in his hands and takes a few deep breaths. “Before you go, tell Asuka-sama and Kazuki-sama that Mama and I keep spotting fog on the horizon. We’re worried.”

Hibari nods like he gets it. Dino sends Reborn a confused look. “Lynx, don’t get kidnapped.” With the final word, he strolls out of the base.

“Extreme,” Sasagawa says in the ensuing silence, nodding approvingly. Tsuna sighs.

“I think that went well!” Dino says. “I don’t really get what just happened, but I think I can leave Tsuna in your capable hands!”

“I don’t need approval from you!” Gokudera bites out.

Tsuna tugs on his sleeve to get his attention. “We’re going home, so leave the fighting for later, please?” Like the loyal puppy he is, Gokudera nods quickly and begins heading towards the entrance. Yamamoto and Sasagawa are quick to follow suit. Dino bounces along beside Tsuna, ruffling his hair and calling him a good boss. Gokudera shouts at him for touching the Tenth.

As they exit the building, Reborn makes it a point to look towards the horizon. The sun is bright in the sky, no cloud in sight. There’s no fog coming in.

(And yet, Tsuna still glances around, worrying about something no one else can see)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, another Reborn POV just to give you guys some insight on what's been going on in his brain in regards to Tsuna. Dino, meanwhile, likes him and thinks he's super cute, but he's wary of him.
> 
>  **Enzo:** He's a descendant of the dinosaurs and Tsuna pretty much sees him as like, a sponge. Idk what else to put here but he feels like water to _seers_ so that's how Tsuna knows that there was something about him.
> 
> That last scene was honestly just typical KHR ridiculousness before all the serious stuff begins, as well as a lead-in to the next arc. But with this chapter, Daily Life comes to a close! Soon, Things will begin to Happen and it shall be glorious. For me. °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! And if you didn't, I hope you're excited for the next one?


	13. acatalepsy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fog engulfs the town and Tsuna is _terrified._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Of course the Kokuyo Arc begins on chapter 13
> 
> I almost posted this chapter last week, but I refrained! I had to finish chapter fourteen first, and now I have both that and the beginning of chapter fifteen finished. HELL YEAH  
> Now that I'm writing this arc, I'm not entirely sure it'll really last all that long. It's looking to be maybe three or four chapters? I skip over a few things so it probably won't be very long. Mmmmm we'll see.
> 
> I hope this chapter is to your liking! Enjoy!

_i._

Tsuna wakes up and for a moment, his _vision_ is clouded by fog. He cannot see his room or Reborn, nor can he feel the bed beneath his body. In that split second, all he can see—all he can _hear, feel_ —is _blood, screams, fear, anger, curses, pain_ , all wrapped up in one presence. A presence that has wrapped themself in a blinding fog.

He blinks once, twice, and he is back. The world spins and his ears ring and he’s only vaguely aware of the tears staining his cheeks. In his daze, he had bitten down on his hand to keep from screaming, or maybe it had been Infinity, interfering before he could wake anyone. It takes him three seconds to realize his hand is bleeding.

Slowly, he turns to get out of bed. The sun is only just rising and Reborn is asleep. Unless his mother woke up too, which she probably did, then he is the only one awake. Reborn hasn’t had time to set up traps yet, so Tsuna easily tiptoes into the bathroom to wrap his hand. He has never had to do it before, but he trusts Infinity to guide him as he needs.

The world is _muted_. He’s still processing what he’s seen, what is to come, and nothing else registers. _Now,_ Infinity whispers. _Now._

It begins, Tsuna supposes, _now._

_ii._

“Mama.” Tsuna scans the dining table. There are only two children, plus Reborn and Hayato. Bianchi is out on a job for Reborn, but she’s supposed to be back within the week. “Where’s Fuuta?”

Nana looks troubled. Like him, her appearance is somewhat haggard, but she still manages to keep her head up. She isn’t stuck feeling everything so _deeply_ in her bones like he can. The _vision_ is strong, important, but she can still differentiate between what’s her Sight and what isn’t. Tsuna, trapped within his own mind, cannot.

(It has started fading, lately. The Seal is cracking, burning away with every Bond completed and every Flame catching onto it. Tsuna is beginning to hold his tongue more, separating Sight from the mundane world in front of him. But it’s still there, overwhelming with every important event—and there are a lot of important events)

“He was gone this morning,” she says, distressed. “I wanted to find him but I can’t do that right now. And—and something tells me I shouldn’t. This is important and he’s alive but…”

 _He’s safe, for now,_ Infinity says. “He should be safe right now,” Tsuna repeats. At his words, his mother lets out a relieved sigh. There’s only so much the world can tell her, but Infinity is trustworthy.

“Thank god,” she murmurs. Now calm, her eyes catch on the loose bandage around his hand and her face turn disapproving. “Now, Tsu-kun, I understand that it was terrible, but if you hurt yourself, you should come to me. Come here—I’ll wrap that up for you properly.” Before everyone became too scared of Kyoya to do anything to him, Tsuna had dealt with a lot of things. Nana had quickly learned how to wrap him up and take care of him, with the wind guiding her hands until she could do it herself.

“Tenth! What happened?” Hayato gasps, eyes wide and horrified as Tsuna approaches his mother. Reborn’s eyes are dark under his fedora and immediately, the kids start demanding answers too. Tsuna smiles nervously at them and waves his hands in an attempt to calm them all down. Nana frowns and takes his injured hand.

“Hold still,” she says sternly. Tsuna nods and lets her unwrap the shoddy job he did with the bandage. He winces at the bite marks on his hand, no longer bleeding but still concerning.

“Tsunayoshi—“ Tsuna marvels at how formal his full name sounds coming from Reborn, “what happened?” _Why did I not wake up?_ Reborn doesn’t say. Tsuna hears it all the same.

“There was a nightmare and I didn’t want to wake you,” he says truthfully. “A fog has rolled into town. There are very terrible things hidden in it.” _Needles, fire, children screaming, so much death and hate and **rage**._ “Hayato, try to be on guard until the fog has passed. I have to warn Kyoya-senpai and Onii-san too…” Anything that may threaten the town is Kyoya’s to deal with, and Tsuna is just as protective of the town as he is. It is where everything begins, after all.

“Okay?” Hayato agrees, clearly confused but unwilling to argue.

“The forecast said nothing about fog today, Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn says.

Tsuna smiles blithely. “There is a lot of fog.”

 

_iii._

It feels like there’s cotton in his throat when they start to approach the gates of the school. Committee members are rushing around, ushering students into the gates as quickly as they can and watching closely for something. They’re all tense and the rest of the students are too scared to ask. Kyoya argues with an administrator nearby, eyes hard and voice more chilling than usual.

“Sawada-san,” Kusakabe Tetsuya calls upon seeing him, Hayato, and Takeshi. “Sawada-san, Kyo-san wants to talk to you.”

“Ah, okay. I need to talk to him too.” Tsuna wastes no time bounding up to Kyoya and tapping his arm. Anyone else would have gotten bitten to death, but Kyoya restrains himself and simply glares at being interrupted.

“Lynx, what do you know?” he asks, turning his back on the administrator. The administrator gapes at the audacity, but does nothing and quickly scurries away. Hayato and Takeshi flank Tsuna and wait.

“I don’t think the fog will lift any time soon.” Tsuna rocks on his heels, listening idly to the warnings in the air. “There’s a lot of anger in these attacks, but mostly, they’re searching for something. I can’t tell why. Kyoya-senpai…” He purses his lips, glancing around at the Committee Members. “Your nest is emptier than usual.”

Kyoya scowls. “Someone has hospitalized my people. I will not allow them to continue disturbing the peace.”

“Senpai… What do you plan to do?” The world holds its breath. Birds follow Kyoya, watching their own in the way they only do when _destruction_ is near. Namimori embraces him and Infinity whispers, _Tell him to be safe._

“I will find them, and I will stop them.” The words are matter-of-fact. Obvious. Of course Kyoya would want to stop the attacks, but this isn’t normal. These attacks are covered in a fog so thick that it makes it hard to breathe. They’re full of _malice_ and _hurt_ and Tsuna is _terrified_ for Kyoya.

“Kyoya-senpai—“

“I won’t let this go on, Lynx.” He stares at him, gaze piercing. Tsuna knows, because he’s always known, that this is Kyoya when he’s concerned. This is Kyoya when he’s truly _angry_ and this town is his and when the things he cares for are threatened, he will always retaliate. And even more than the town, Kyoya is head of the Disciplinary Committee. A lot of his people are missing too, and that, over everything, is something he would not stand for.

“Kyoya-senpai…” he says carefully. He’s acutely aware of Hayato and Takeshi watching him, and Reborn is hiding in a tree, listening in on them. He has to be careful about what he says. “You _have_ to be safe. You can’t run off on your own. It’s not safe.” _That’s what Infinity says._ Kyoya glances to Hayato and Takeshi, and understands what isn’t spoken.

“I’ll be careful, but these are _my_ people, Lynx.”

Tsuna hesitates for a moment. “Kyoya…” Not _senpai_. This is serious. If he wasn’t paying attention earlier, he is now. “Something is happening, now. Whoever is attacking your people, they’re the beginning of… of whatever pulls me to a _path_.”

“I thought that was the baby.” Kyoya frowns, confused.

“Reborn began the journey, but this is the start of which _path_ I’ll have to take,” Tsuna elaborates. “From here on, there’s going to be forks in the road, and I have to make the correct choices so we don’t end up _fallen._ So please be careful. You’re not safe.” He wants to cry. None of the tears will come, but his breath hitches and he sniffs. He doesn’t want Kyoya to be hurt, and the fog is so _painful_. It’s not a good combination.

Behind him, he hears Hayato and Takeshi move, but Kyoya is the one to rest a hand on top of his head. Tsuna glances up at him. It’s a rare day that Kyoya allows himself to be physically affectionate. The most he could ever manage in normal circumstances without being uncomfortable was using Tsuna’s lap as a pillow.

“If I end up hurt, it will be because I fought as best I could,” he says as gently as he’s capable of. “I am one of your Bonded, so I will not allow myself to die.” Kyoya never used to be so dedicated. At the start of it, he knew his role as the _secret-keeper_ but they had only just met each other. After some years, though, Tsuna became one of his in the same way he was one of Tsuna’s. He could never say it out loud, but it was moments like these when Tsuna knew he was saying that he did care, that they were important to each other. Tsuna wouldn’t be able to go on without his Cloud, without his _secret-keeper_ , because what’s the point of having a destiny without all of his friends beside him?

With a new resolve burning in his eyes, Tsuna straightens his back and nods. “You’re not _allowed_ to die yet, Kyoya-senpai. _Be careful_.”

Kyoya smirks and removes his hand. “There you are, Lynx. Now go to class or I’ll bite you to death.”

“Good luck, Kyoya-senpai.” Tsuna bows, then ushers Hayato and Takeshi to class.

 

_iv._

“Sasagawa Ryohei has been attacked,” Kyoya drones. The blank look on his face and the _air_ around him are enough to tell that he is _furious._ Tsuna’s body turns cold. He stumbles. Takeshi catches him, looking concerned. The attacks only started a few days ago and already one of Tsuna’s has been targeted.

“What…” He doesn’t know how to finish the question. _What are you going to do? What happened? What should_ I _do?_

“Whoever is behind this fog _will_ be _bitten to death_ ,” Kyoya snarls, hands gripping his tonfas tightly. “They have not only attacked my people, but also one of the pack.” And because of that, he’s important to Kyoya too, even if he irks him more often than not. Tsuna had never kept it secret that all of them were connected to each other, not just him. So despite the fact that very few Bonded have spent much time getting to know each other, Kyoya will still watch over them.

Ryohei is one of Tsuna’s Bonded and he was attacked, which makes the attacks _all the more personal._

“Wait, Kyoya-senpai, you have to—“

“I’m going to _find_ whoever did this Lynx,” Kyoya interrupts sharply. “I will find them and I will get retribution. They have hospitalized a member of the pack and I won’t allow them to continue. I’m putting an end to whatever they’re searching for. _Today_.”

A bird nearby screeches, terrified. Takeshi’s hands on Tsuna’s shoulders flinch in surprise. Tsuna doesn’t. He knows, and the birds know, that if Kyoya leaves, he’ll be in danger. He’s strong, but whoever is behind everything is crafty, which is one thing Kyoya is not. A large gust of wind blows past, trying to hug the boy who would have been one of theirs if he weren’t one of Tsuna’s.

“If you go…” Tsuna says timidly. “If you go, you might not get out of it. I-I’m not sure the likelihood of you actually _dying_ , but… but you might not be able to win.”

“I said it before—if I lose, I will have at least been fighting. I listened to you but I won’t anymore. Namimori is _mine_. You know this.”

“Oi, Hibari, can’t you see you’re upsetting the Tenth?” Hayato hisses, as though speaking any louder would make Tsuna break down.

“Don’t presume to know better than I do, herbivore,” Kyoya retorts, glaring. “The Lynx needs to hear this.”

“Why you—“

“Both of you, stop it!” Tsuna snaps before they can get into a brawl in the middle of the street. “Kyoya-senpai, if you’re going…” He searches, looking for where the fog is thickest. “Kokuyo. The fog is coming from Kokuyo. Please be careful. It’s—it’s not going to be easy.”

“I know.” Kyoya nods. “If you wish, go and visit Sasagawa. I will have the school mark you as present. You two, however…” He narrows his eyes, appearing to debate on whether or not to do the same for Hayato and Takeshi.

“There’s no way we’re leaving the Tenth alone!” Hayato declares.

“Yeah, who knows what might happen?” Takeshi agrees. It’s a rare day when the two agree on anything.

“It’s fine, you two. Go to class and you can take notes on what’s going on, right?” Tsuna tries for a smile. It only works a little bit. “Besides, Reborn will be with me. Right, Reborn?” He looks to the wall that Reborn has installed a tiny door in. He still has no idea how he’s doing it.

“That’s right,” Reborn says, hopping out of the doorway to take his place beside Tsuna. “Subordinates should always pick up their boss’s slack.”

“They’re not my subordinates, Reborn.”

“You’re right!” Hayato gasps. He bows deeply to Tsuna. “Tenth! I will make sure to take the most diligent notes for you! I trust Reborn-san to protect you!”

“Hm, I guess if the kid says it, it’s alright!” Takeshi laughs, though he sounds a bit nervous about it. Even he feels uneasy with all of the attacks lately.

“It’s settled, then,” Kyoya says. “Herbivores, go to class before you’re late. Lynx, I’ll call the school before heading to Kokuyo.”

Tsuna nods slowly. “Kyoya, Fuuta is still missing. He… he might be with the person behind the fog. If you can…”

“I’ll try to find your Prophet,” Kyoya agrees. He looks at Reborn seriously. “Infant carnivore, take care of the Lynx.” He doesn’t have a threat prepared, but he lets one hang anyway. He stalks away before he can get a response.

“We’ll be going now, Tsuna,” Takeshi says, grin plastered on his face. The mask, long faded since the day on the roof, reappears for a brief second to show its worry. Tsuna frowns.

“Don’t grin if you’re so worried, Takeshi,” he scolds lightly.

“Ah—“ Takeshi lets out a startled laugh. “Of course you noticed. Sorry about that Tsuna.” His smile is a little more real this time as he ruffles Tsuna’s hair. “But we really should get going! We’ll go to the hospital after school.”

“Who said anything about ‘we’, baseball idiot?” Hayato snaps. His expression does a one-eighty as he looks at Tsuna. “But yes, I’ll go to class now! Be safe, Tenth!”

Tsuna smiles at them and nods. “You too.”

The ground cracks beneath their feet.

 

_v._

Reborn is suspicious, but Reborn has been suspicious of Tsuna for a long time. No matter how much he pries, Tsuna doesn’t give. It’s mostly because he doesn’t know _how_. He knows now that, on some level, Reborn actually likes him and thinks of him as more of a person now rather than a job, but he still doesn’t exactly trust him. He can trust Hayato and Takeshi, but not when Reborn is watching his every move.

“Did you know, Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn begins, “that Leon’s tail fell off earlier?”

“That means something bad is going to happen, doesn’t it?” Tsuna looks around, trying to find the number of Ryohei’s hospital room.

“Yes, and it happened immediately after a letter from the Ninth arrived.”

“Mm?”

“He wants you to apprehend the escaped convict, Rokudo Mukuro, as well as his companions. They have already slaughtered two mafia Families.”

Tsuna pauses. He has to blink away the _pain, anger, screams_ that assault him at Reborn’s words. He rubs at his eyes and looks at his hand. Tears. “Ah. That… hm.” There’s an explanation there. The eradication of two Families is related to the _hatred_ in the fog. Something happened, but Tsuna doesn’t know what.

Reborn stares at him, concern masked but not masked enough for Tsuna not to notice. “Dame-Tsuna—“

“Ah, there’s Onii-san’s room!” Tsuna knocks on the door and opens it at the affirmative he receives. “Onii-san! Are you alright?”

Ryohei is lying on the hospital bed with far too many bandages, a cast, and a breathing mask. What isn’t wrapped in bandages is still heavily bruised. Tsuna winces just looking at him. There’s an ugly feeling in his stomach, and yet he feels a little relieved when Ryohei still shoots a beaming grin in his direction.

“Hey, Sawada!” he says, as cheerful as ever. “I have six broken bones, seven cracked, and I lost five of my teeth. But I’ve had worse!” He laughs. Tsuna doesn’t, but he still tries to smile and nod. “Still, that was one strong kid… I want him in my club!”

“Onii-san, I don’t think that’s the kind of person you want!” Tsuna exclaims. “Do you know why that person wanted to hurt you?”

“Hmm, nope! But the guy knew my name. He wore a Kokuyo Middle uniform.” Tsuna wishes he could be surprised, but he’s not. Though the culprit being a middle schooler is a bit unexpected, it was obvious that whoever came to town had settled in the next town over.

“Kokuyo…” Reborn murmurs and glances at him. He pretends not to notice.

“Speaking of Kokuyo, Kyoya-senpai was really angry at you being hospitalized and tracked the culprit down to Kokuyo,” Tsuna says, lying only a little bit.

“Really? You mean Hibari was angry about _me_?” Ryohei gapes.

Tsuna nods, smiling in amusement. “Yup. Well, he was also angry about the town in general being targeted, but you were pretty much the final straw. I think he mostly respects you because we’re friends and you’re strong, but it’s the thought that counts.”

“Hibari’s a very extreme guy!” Ryohei declares happily. Tsuna laughs. Then Ryohei becomes serious. “Oh, but change of subject—can you keep the truth about what happened a secret from Kyoko? I don’t want to worry her.”

“Um… okay, but…” Tsuna eyes his body. He doesn’t know what sort of excuse he would be able to come up with for his whole body being covered in bandages.

Kyoko chooses that moment to slam the door open, eyes wide with worry. She hurries to Ryohei’s side, fussing over his wounds. “Onii-chan! Why did you climb the chimney in the bathhouse? Is that really just a sprain?” she says frantically, hands gripping the side of the hospital bed. It looks as though she wants to touch him, but she holds back.

“It _is_ a sprain!” Ryohei claims.

“What about your arm?”

“Also sprained!”

“I don’t think you need to be hospitalized just for _that_!”

Tsuna listens to the argument for a few seconds longer. It’s obvious Kyoko doesn’t entirely believe that Ryohei simply _sprained_ something. She’s more worried than anything, and so that’s why she’s not demanding to know the truth of what happened. She can only see that Ryohei had been more injured than he let on.

Tsuna quietly exits the room, the door clicking shut behind him and Reborn. He looks around. The hospital is filled with Namimori Middle students. A few Committee members are patrolling the hallways.

“Ah, Sawada-san,” Kusakabe says as he notices him in front of Ryohei’s room. “Have you seen Kyo-san?”

Tsuna nods. Dread fills his gut as he remembers the uncertainty and _fear_ for what may happen to Kyoya. “Y-yeah… He’s tracked down the culprits. He went to deal with them.”

Kusakabe smiles. “That’s great! The Chairman will definitely solve this quickly. Thanks, Sawada-san. Be safe until he comes back, alright? I hate to think of what he’d do if he found out _you_ got hurt too.” With a final clasp of his shoulder, he walks away. Tsuna doesn’t have the courage to tell him that Kyoya might not be able to win. He ducks his head and shuffles out of the hospital.

“Dame-Tsuna. What do you know?” Reborn asks. It’s not the first time.

“Kyoya-senpai probably won’t win.” Tsuna shivers as goosebumps rise on his arm. “Whoever is doing this has a whole lot of motivation and… the fog can blind anyone.”

“ _Why_ do you know this? _How_?” Reborn presses. “You’ve never acted normal, but I was willing to ignore it and find out on my own, but your knowledge of these events are suspicious. So tell me, Tsunayoshi— _how do you know so much_?”

Tsuna rubs his arms and bites at his bottom lip. He still doesn’t trust Reborn enough. He doesn’t have his _secret-keeper_ with him either, and something important is going on right now. He wishes he had Skull with him, or even his mother to tell him when the best time to reveal his Sight would be. He reaches mentally, searching for guidance in Infinity. _He will have to learn eventually,_ they say. _But not now. There’s too much going on right now. After will be the most helpful._

“I-I don’t think I can say…” Tsuna stammers. He tries not to flinch at the glare he receives. “Not right now, anyway! Things are too hectic and uncertain right now, but after Kyoya-senpai gets back and kids have stopped being targeted— _then_ I’ll tell you. Is… is that alright, Reborn?”

Reborn stares at him. He shuffles his feet nervously.

“Alright,” Reborn agrees slowly. “But I expect a _full_ explanation, _Dame-Tsuna_.”

It’s the same nickname and the same menacing aura, but it’s not _scary._ Tsuna smiles his relief. “Thank you, Reborn,” he murmurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A _lot_ of 1827 fluff in this chapter! Hooray! It can be either platonic or romantic--whichever floats your boat. The lines between platonic and romantic tend to blur for me, so who knows? Not me!
> 
> The next chapter, as I said before, is totally finished but I'm still not sure when I'll post it. Could be next weekend, could be in two weeks. Sorry about the uncertainty ^^;
> 
> Thanks for reading and (hopefully) enjoying! \\(^o^)/ (And I don't think I've said this yet, so: to whomever it may concern, happy Pride Month! I hope it's been kind to you, or that it will be kind to you <3 )


	14. incalescent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsuna has a job to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate this chapter. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it. But! It's a necessary stepping stone. I can't very well just skip to what's interesting without going through what happens before. This chapter is pretty boring though. It's kind of like filler? Honestly? The interesting stuff happens after this.  
> Also, I had this and the next chapter finished since last week. I just wanted to keep to the schedule even though I'm super excited for Certain Events.
> 
> At any rate, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

_i._

The cry of crows outside the hospital has Tsuna rushing to the window. Reborn barely manages to catch up in time to see a murder rushing past. Tsuna opens the window and leans out, as though trying to touch them or watch, his eyes wide and unseeing. One crow lingers behind, looking at Tsuna briefly, before flying off after the rest of the group in the direction of Kokuyo.

“I knew it…” Tsuna whispers, hands gripping the window sill. His shoulders shake with something like anger, or grief. Maybe it’s a combination of the two. The crows had only come to deliver a message.

Kyoya has been defeated.

“Dame-Tsuna?” Reborn says.

Tsuna doesn’t have the time to prepare an answer before a few staff members rush by with a stretcher. A Committee member is beaten on top of it and a closer look reveals him as Kusakabe. Tsuna inhales sharply. It looks like the attacks will continue.

Reborn spares a glance towards him. He’s quick to jump on the stretcher to observe Kusakabe before returning to Tsuna. His place beside him is somehow comforting. “This may not be what you want to hear, Tsunayoshi,” Reborn begins, “but the cause of all this fighting… is you.”

Tsuna twitches. Is he shocked? Or simply upset? He’s not too sure himself. He’s not too sure of _anything_ right now. His emotions have been going up and down ever since the attacks started and he can barely keep up with it all. The fog constantly assaulting his _vision_ isn’t much help either. “What do you mean? How am I the cause?”

“Kusakabe-san over there lost four teeth,” Reborn says, nodding in the direction of the hospital staff and Kusakabe. “Before him, Sasagawa lost five. Before Sasagawa, the student who got beaten lost six, and so on. Do you understand?”

Even as difficult as it is for Tsuna to concentrate, he can still connect the dots. “The numbers line up…”

“It’s a countdown,” Reborn confirms. “Once I realized this, I found that the countdown matched up with something I had seen before. Tsunayoshi, did you know? Fuuta once made a ranking of all of Namimori Middle’s strongest fighters.” He produces a folded piece of paper from his pocket and hands it over. Tsuna looks at it, scanning the list and quickly finding both Ryohei and Kusakabe on there.

“The countdown matches the rankings…” he whispers. Kusakabe was fourth, which means the third is next, and _that_ means… “H-Hayato!” he chokes. “We have to go! I have to warn Hayato!” He had had a feeling that his friends were in danger from the cracks on the ground, but he hadn’t expected it to be so _soon._

“You do that, Tsuna,” Reborn says. “I have something else I need to do.”

“Are you sure, Reborn?” Tsuna bites his lip, hopping from one foot to the other. He wants to rush out immediately, but it’s also important that nothing happens to Reborn. After a few reassurances from Infinity, he shakes his head. “No, never mind. I’ll go. Be safe, Reborn.” He’s quick to dash towards the high school, his feet practically flying off the ground.

 

_ii._

Hayato is not at the high school. Tsuna doesn’t have the time to stick around, but his eyes catch on Takeshi and he says, “Takeshi, let’s go find Hayato!” He doesn’t stop to see if Takeshi listens before he’s darting off again. His fingers itch, wanting to reach into his pocket to call Kyoya and ask if he can spread the word. It’s habit to call him whenever there’s trouble, except Kyoya is already gone and defeated so now, it’s Tsuna’s job.

Something explodes nearby and he’s quick to run to that direction. More explosions from the same area paint the air. He turns the corner, heart in his throat—only to see Hayato lounging on the ground. He glances around nervously. Hayato looks relaxed but there’s still someone around. Someone dangerous and someone who’s willing to kill.

“H-Hayato…” he stammers.

“Tenth!” Hayato jumps to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“I—Reborn said…” He shuffles closer, keeping an eye on the area around them. “Reborn found a list. You’re a target and I wanted to warn you, but…”

“Aww, Tenth.” Hayato laughs and rubs the back of his head. “You didn’t have to worry. I took care of the guy!” Tsuna blinks. Goosbumps rise on his arms and he looks around again.

“No. No, Hayato, you didn’t,” he whispers.

“Perceptive,” drawls a voice. Body smoking, bruised, and bloody, a boy emerges. “So the Vongola Decimo shouldn’t be underestimated. Thanks for showing up.” Despite his injured appearance, he lashes out with his yoyos. Tsuna’s shoulders tense, eyes shutting closed on instinct as he braces himself.

But nothing hits.

Tsuna peels open his eyes and stifles a gasp. “Hayato!”

Hayato stands in front of him, arms outstretched. “Tenth… run…” he rasps before collapsing on his side. Tsuna doesn’t run. He can’t possibly be expected to run when his friend, his _Bonded_ , is injured and bleeding. He falls to the ground beside him, hands hovering over Hayato’s shoulders as though he might be able to do something. The boy in front of them is uncaring.

“Well,” the boy says. “I’ll finish this quickly, then.” He releases his yoyo again. Tsuna knows he won’t be able to dodge, but he doesn’t have to. The decision is made for him when Takeshi tackles him to the ground.

“Takeshi! You came!” Tsuna exclaims.

Takeshi grins, but his mask makes an appearance to show the contained fury underneath it. “Of course I came. You looked so worried about Gokudera, so of course I had to follow.” He looks to their attacker and his grin drops. His mask fades back into his skin. For once, his anger is on full display. “It looks like I was right to come.”

The boy stares, unimpressed. “You’re in the way.”

This time, the attack is intercepted by Takeshi swinging his bat. Tsuna blinks as the spell shimmers and dissipates to reveal its true form. The yoyo drops, useless, sliced in two by the sword in Takeshi’s hands.

“Yamamoto Takeshi,” the boy murmurs, adjusting his glasses. “Namimori Middle School, Class 2-A. Seat number fifteen.”

“Yeah?” Takeshi says, challenging.

The boy rolls his neck and begins to turn, walking off. “You’re Ken’s prey. It’ll be troublesome to intervene.” He sighs and mutters nonsense to himself. Tsuna wants to go after him while he’s unwilling to fight, but Hayato is of a more pressing matter. Above, two small yellow birds make their presences known. Tsuna glances up at them. They stare at one another for all of two seconds, and then the birds fly off in the direction of the boy.

_Allies._

 

_iii._

“Reborn, what can you tell me about the situation with um… ‘Rokudo Mukuro,’ was it?” Tsuna asks, looking down at Reborn outside of the nurse’s office. Unlike Bianchi, who had demanded treatment from a hospital rather than Shamal, he understands that a hospital would ask too many questions.

“Two weeks ago,” Reborn begins, “there was a jailbreak at a high security prison for only the most terrible of mafia criminals. The convicts killed several wardens, as well as other prisoners. They were later tracked down and it was discovered that they were headed here, to Japan. Soon after, three foreign students transferred to Kokuyo Middle and a gang was formed. I’m sure you can guess who runs this gang.”

“Rokudo Mukuro.” Tsuna nods. “For some reason, the gang is attacking the students of Nami Middle… But, wait, why is this _my_ job?” On the larger scale, he knows that this is _important_. These attacks are what will lead to the _paths_ he’ll have to take. But he doesn’t know what the criminals mean for him and why the Ninth wants him to apprehend them.

“They’re after you, Tsuna,” Reborn says simply. Tsuna turns rigid. “Gokudera revealed your identity, which means they’re going to go after you directly next. Your friends aren’t going to let that happen, you know, but look at what’s already happened in their pursuit of you.” Tsuna swallows, grasping at his chest. His Fire burns steadily. He can feel his Bonds underneath his hands. Ryohei and Kyoya and Hayato were already targeted and Takeshi was supposed to be next. Kyoko and Hana and Haru were known friends of his; they would end up targets too.

He doesn’t want _any_ of them gone.

“Do you want the victims to increase?” Reborn stares at him, gaze piercing. Tsuna shakes his head slowly.

"No... no I'll go to Kokuyo and deal with this," he says.

“I’ll go with you!” Tsuna snaps his head to the side to gape at Hayato and his eager smile.

“You’re _injured_!”

“I’m all better now!” Hayato declares. Tsuna eyes him, knowing he’s not as well as he claims. Shamal’s trace is evident on him, which means his recovery wasn’t on his own. It’s worrying. It could cause issue later.

“I’m coming too,” Bianchi says. Tsuna looks at her as Hayato scrambles back. “I’m worried about Hayato.”

“Count me in,” Takeshi says, appearing from nowhere as the other two have. “The mafia game is becoming an interschool thing, huh?” He smiles. Tsuna sighs. He doesn’t know why Takeshi is acting like everything is a game. He knows Takeshi is smarter than that, but he supposes it’s the best way for him to process everything.

“Perfect,” Reborn says without waiting for Tsuna’s input. “We’ll all go to the enemy grounds together.” Tsuna is about to protest when he adds, “The hostage is someone you know well, Tsuna.”

The stars, though unseen in the daylight, _whisper_. “Fuuta,” he whispers.

 

_iv._

Kokuyo used to be a nice place. Tsuna remembers visiting before—once with his parents on a rare occasion that his father was home, and again with Skull when they were scouting out the place that would one day become _important_. There’s something melancholic and beautiful about its ruins. After the typhoon, Tsuna had hopes that it would be rebuilt again one day. _Not for a while now,_ Infinity would tell him.

They end up attacked at the very front of the run down amusement park. Takeshi laughs it off, despite being thrown into a cavern, up until Reborn pushes Tsuna in. The animal boy almost attacks him before Takeshi makes quick work of him in retaliation. It’s nice, Tsuna muses after, to see his friend becoming angry over his being in danger.

While they walk and steadily go deeper into the fog, Reborn shows them pictures of the escaped convicts: Kakimoto Chikusa—the boy with the yoyos—Joshima Ken—animal boy—and Rokudo Mukuro, who is shown to be a frightening man in the middle. Something about his picture doesn’t sit right. Tsuna’s intuition is never wrong. A moment later, Infinity confirms it. Whoever the man in the photo is, he isn’t Rokudo Mukuro.

They sit down for lunch and get attacked by a clarinet player who introduces herself as M.M. It takes no time at all for Bianchi to take her down with her cooking and her poison touch. Tsuna admires her mastery at controlling her curse, and also the colors pulsing from her as she claims love as her reason for fighting.

Immediately after M.M.’s defeat, they’re approached by an old man. “Birds,” he calls himself as a yellow bird perches on his shoulder. He opens his laptop to show Haru and Kyoko, followed by his deformed henchman. “Your friends are my targets,” he chuckles darkly. “If you don’t listen to my bidding, who knows what might happen?”

“You…!” Hayato growls and grabs the man by the collar of his shirt. Takeshi and Bianchi are equally alarmed at his words, but Tsuna isn’t worried.

(Animals, unlike humans, are all aware of the Creator’s _will_. No matter their allegiances, Tsuna knows that animals, simple and uncomplicated creatures that they are, will always follow what’s meant to happen)

 “Oho, you can’t touch me,” Birds wheezes, a sick grin on his face. “I can give commands from here. If anything happens to me, well…” The henchmen inch ever closer to Haru and Kyoko, who remain unaware.

“Shit!” Hayato hastily drops the man back to the ground and glares. “Bastard!”

Birds chuckles. It’s an ugly sound that makes Tsuna shudder. “Good, good. Well then, first… I’d like one of you to beat Vongola Decimo to the ground.”

“ _What_?” Takeshi and Hayato shout. Tsuna looks at the monitors while Hayato and Takeshi debate and try to argue. The canaries that follow Birds around are supposed to be the ones with the cameras. He doesn’t know exactly how important Haru and Kyoko are to them when they aren’t directly connected to him, but…

He looks at the canary perched on Birds’s head. It chirps. It’s the only confirmation that Tsuna needs.

“It might not be my place to say this, or anything…” Tsuna speaks up in the midst of Hayato and Takeshi’s argument, “but those brothers won’t be able to do anything to Haru or Kyoko.”

“Oh?” Birds says sharply, amused and yet not. “What makes you so _confident_?” On the computer screen, the brothers begin to approach the girls again.

“Your _birds_ wouldn’t allow it,” Tsuna says. The canary chirps again and flutters towards him, settling in his hair. Birds’s smile drops. “And even though they may not be my family, there are people near me that know who the people important to me are.” He gestures to the screen in time to show Shamal incapacitating the man behind Kyoko and leading both her and Hana to safety.

“What?” Birds grits his teeth. “Well, the other girl—“ He cuts off as the other brother is brought down by a flying kick to his head.

A Committee member stares coldly down at the man. “You’re disturbing the peace of Namimori,” he spats. He kicks at him again, and then stomps on him for good measure. Then he turns to Haru, who’s staring in bewilderment and awe. “You’re Miura Haru-san, right? Sawada-san’s friend?” Two more Committee members appear and restrain the struggling serial killer. Though they may be a middle school organization, Tsuna remembers sitting in on their training with Asuka and Kazuki. A few of them in a group are enough to take down one person.

“You know Tsuna-san?” she asks, eyes brightening.

The Committee member nods. “Yes. We were asked by an acquaintance of his to watch over you. That man over there was planning to attack you. If you would come with me, I can escort you to the Hibari estate where you’ll be safe until Sawada-san calls.” Haru nods and follows him easily.

“Wh-what?” Birds croaks. Hayato and Takeshi turn to him eerily. Now that the threat is out of the way, he’s nothing but a weak old man. A single punch from Hayato knocks him out. Tsuna smiles.

“Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn says, appearing to wake up from his “nap”. The suspicion on his face and in his voice is obvious. “How did you know that the girls would be safe?”

“You wouldn’t leave without ensuring that _everyone_ with close connections to me is safe,” Tsuna responds carefully. It’s true that he wouldn’t, but the canary on his head had been the one to remind him that there would be protective measures taken. Animals would always have his trust—they followed the same Creator that he did, after all.

“You’re so smart Tenth!” Hayato gushes. Tsuna laughs and shakes his head, blushing as Takeshi echoes the sentiment.

(Reborn keeps watching him, uncertain of the truth in his words)

 

_v._

Tsuna stops and looks to the side. Takeshi and Hayato stop too.

“Tenth?” Hayato asks.

“Who’s there?” Bianchi calls, feeling the same thing Tsuna does. From the trees, Fuuta pokes his head out. Tsuna is relieved for two seconds before noticing the _haze_ around him. As his friends shout Fuuta’s name, he _looks_. The cloudy fog swirls around him and his wings don’t twinkle with the shine of the stars. His eyes are clear but something in them isn’t right. _No,_ Infinity says. _No, no, no. That’s not the Prophet, not entirely_.

“What are you doing here, Fuuta?” Hayato asks, gaping.

“Did you manage to escape?” Takeshi adds and smiles. “Thank god! Come with us and we’ll take you home!” He opens his arms as though to beckon him, but Fuuta clutches his book to his chest and shakes his head.

“N-no!” he cries. “I can’t go back. I… I follow Mukuro-san now, so…!” He shakes his head again, then runs off deep into the forest.

“Fuuta!”

Tsuna steps forward, ready to run after him, before remembering. That isn’t Fuuta. It’s not _him_ saying he won’t come back, so there’s really no reason to run after him. They’ll find him later, he’s sure. But he's still Fuuta in a way. He's still his little brother and the Prophet who has yet to fully come into his abilities. His first instinct is to go after the boy-who-is-not-Fuuta. _Go,_ Infinity says. _Go. It will be fine._

Tsuna has a split second of hesitation, and then chooses to listen.

(He always listens)

He rushes into the forest, ignoring the shocked exclamations of his friends warning him not to go. He doesn’t know if they’ll follow. He doesn’t even know where the illusion of Fuuta has run off to. Wherever he’s going, he trusts the trees to show the path he needs to go.

Something is waiting for him.

The fog becomes thicker.

He doesn’t catch sight of Fuuta anywhere. He is shown where to go but it doesn’t seem to lead anywhere but deeper. _Stop,_ says Infinity when he begins to grow tired. _This is far enough._ Tsuna stops, panting as he looks around. He freezes as he hears footsteps approach from behind him. He stares at his feet where suddenly, mist has begun to slink past.

“Oh?” says a voice.

Tsuna turns. He chokes. The boy in front of him, dark hair and _sadnessangerpain **hurt**_ , stops. His relieved smile freezes on his face. They stare at each other—at the areas above their shoulders.

(The world holds its breath)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm??? What's this???? What's happening???? Well I'm sure I don't know~ And if I did, that would be ~spoilers~
> 
>  **Haru and Birds:** Tsuna took away the Ten Year Bazooka and absolutely forbade its use. This means TYL Lambo and I-Pin couldn't have saved Haru, but not to worry! The Disciplinary Committee is run by Kyoya, whose parents _do_ happen to be involved in the underground and also train each and every member personally. They have enough skill take down some serial killers, at the very least when they're in groups.
> 
>  **Animals:** I remember there's a superstition that animals can see ghosts and stuff that I wanted to apply to this. In this world, animals all have their own versions of the Sight and they all know what the Creator wants. I'm not sure how to explain it, really. Ultimately, all animals may have their own allegiances to each other and to specific humans, but at the end of the day, they will always follow the Creator and the world first, which is why Birds' canaries assured Tsuna of Kyoko and Haru's safety.
> 
> Uhhh so yeah! Not much happens this chapter beyond some mystic stuff. I feel like this chapter was unnecessarily dramatic. Thanks for reading and tune in two weeks from now for the thrilling answer to the last scene!


	15. aleatory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rokudo Mukuro has a choice to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't able to respond to any comments these past two weeks because I'm taking summer classes + I got into TAZ + other life things took up my time T_T
> 
> This chapter!!! is the chapter I've been waiting so long to post! It's a bit unnecessarily dramatic but I got super excited the moment I thought of it. Didn't go exactly as planned, but I'm still pretty satisfied with it.
> 
> Enjoy!

_i._

“Y-you’re—“ Tsuna chokes. He can’t _think_. He _knows_ who this is—not on a personal level, no, but it’s _obvious_ , isn’t it?—and he can’t _think_. The fog is bigger, more overwhelming than ever before and _choking_. It engulfs his _vision_ , _screaming_ at him, telling him about _blood, death, horror, wrong, wrong, **wrong**_. And the boy in front of him is the _center_ of it all. His smile, previously falsely open and relieved, is frozen on his face, uncovered eye wide. His other eye, hidden by his bangs, _glows_ red through dark strands in a way that Tsuna recognizes. It’s unearthly. It’s _off._

And beyond all of that—beyond the demonic red and the tortured fog and the sense that nothing is _okay_ —is the _wing_.

The single wing when there should be two. The single wing that’s tucked near his shoulder and where it should be the dark and beautiful and _whole_ plumage of feathers, it’s torn and _wrecked_ and _burnt_. It’s not whole, not meant for the flight it should or the Sight that it’s meant to symbolize.

“What _happened_? Where—“ The world is spinning. It’s not turning the way it’s supposed to, the way it does when it begins to come alive when something _important_ is happening. The world is _spinning_. Tsuna has questions, but he can barely manage to stay upright. He stumbles when he tries to step forward.

The boy, who can only be Rokudo Mukuro, is still staring at him, shocked and with what looks like _fear_ in his eye. “You…” he manages. “You have wings. You—“

“ _How did this happen_?” Tsuna says, desperate for answers. There’s so _much_. _Too_ much. There’s _death_ surrounding Rokudo and so much _anguish_ and _hatred_ and it’s all getting to be _too much_.

Rokudo opens his mouth to say something. Whatever comes out is—watered down. Tsuna can only hear jumbled words and when he tries to walk, he stumbles again.

This time, he falls, and everything goes black.

 

_ii._

When Tsuna comes to, he’s not in the forest anymore. There’s a cushion under his body that isn’t exactly soft and the ceiling above his head is tattered and dirty. His vision is clearer now, as is his mind. Distantly, he can feel Infinity worrying over him. He breathes softly, heart beating heavily yet steady in his ears. Without even having to look, he can feel tension radiating from all areas of the unfamiliar room.

“Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn’s voice says. “I see you’re awake.” His tone is tense. Normally, he would be hopping on Tsuna’s chest to mock him, but his voice comes from somewhere else. Tsuna sits up slowly, first catching sight of his friends on the other side of the couch. He looks to the side and sees Rokudo, Kakimoto, Joshima, and the impersonator on the other end of the room. Both groups are glaring at each other, hostile but not attacking.

Tsuna observes them for a few seconds. More specifically, he observes the single wing on Rokudo’s back. It hadn’t been a dream. The feathers are still torn in places and burnt in others. It doesn’t have a matching other. Now that the shock of seeing it is gone, he feels dread and sorrow rather than panic. Rokudo scowls at whatever look is on his face.

“What’s… going on? Reborn?” Tsuna asks tentatively, turning towards his friends.

“After you ran off, we were attacked by the man known as Lancia, the strongest man in Italy,” Reborn explains monotonously, not tearing his eyes away from Rokudo’s gang. “We were under the impression that he was the man we were looking for, until the real Rokudo Mukuro came from the forest carrying your unconscious body. He _claimed_ that he had no reason to fight us anymore and he wanted all of us to come with him to wait for you to wake up. Seeing as he had you, we had no choice but to follow him.”

“I don’t trust him at all, Tenth,” Hayato is quick to say, baring his teeth at Rokudo. Rokudo rolls his eyes, while Joshima and Kakimoto take up ready stances. The man called Lancia looks uncomfortable.

“Stand down Chikusa, Ken,” Rokudo says. “You shouldn’t trust me at all, _Gokudera-kun_.” He sneers. “I had full intent to kill your Vongola Decimo, but circumstances have forced my hand. It seems nothing is as straightforward as I believed them to be.” He turns to look fully at Tsuna, and for the first time, Tsuna is able to see his left eye. He gasps softly and stands, taking a step forward as though to get a closer look.

“Your eye…” He reaches out, and that’s when he notices the string that has materialized between them. Rokudo seems to notice to as his scowl deepens. He makes a valiant effort in keeping the indigo Fire on his chest where it is rather than letting it reach out. “You’re one of mine…” Tsuna breathes regardless.

Rokudo practically snarls at him. “No,” he snaps. “I’m not one of _yours_. I don’t belong to anyone and certainly not a mafia _dog_.”

“Not mine then. And I’m not going to be a mafia boss,” he adds before continuing. “That’s okay. You don’t belong to me. _Mine-not-mine_. But you’re still _important_ to me.”

“Tsuna, what—“ Reborn says.

“Absolutely not. Do you even _realize_ what I’ve done to you?” Rokudo hisses. “Who you are means _nothing_. I attacked your town, your people. I _kidnapped_ your star child. The only reason I’m not attacking your little group right now is because I can _see_.”

Tsuna needs to address that—needs to address the obvious fact that halted the both of them in the first place—but the reminder strikes a chord in him. _Kyoya. Fuuta._ “Where are they?” he asks. “Where are Kyoya-senpai and Fuuta? They’re both _mine_ and Kyoya is _secret-keeper_ so he has to be here for this.”

Rokudo clicks his tongue at that. “I’ll give them back to you,” he says reluctantly.

 

_iii._

Rokudo and Lancia escort Tsuna and Reborn, who insisted in coming along, to where Fuuta and Kyoya are being kept. Fuuta runs to Tsuna’s side the moment he sees him, clutching at his pants and almost crying. Tsuna rubs the top of his head in comfort. Kyoya is tied up, none the worse for wear but clearly angry. He stops struggling the moment he sees Tsuna. He glares at Rokudo and his gang and says, “If you’ve done _anything_ —“

“Your _seer_ is fine,” Rokudo huffs and rolls his eyes. “We’ve come to realize that we’re not so different, so we’re at a stand-still.”

“ _What_ does that mean?”

“Kyoya.” Tsuna steps close to him, untying the ropes around him as he murmurs, “He can _see_.” Kyoya stiffens. His face contorts between something like shock and anger.

“What.”

Tsuna nods.

“No,” Kyoya says.

“Yes,” Tsuna says.

“ _No._ ” He sounds vaguely horrified—a tone Tsuna has only managed to pick up after years of knowing him. As though Rokudo’s Sight is his own choosing, he glares at him, practically hissing. Rokudo looks back at him, unimpressed and a little exhausted. Kyoya then looks at Fuuta and forces his face to soften. Fuuta doesn’t look particularly uncomfortable, seeing the same gentle _air_ around him that Tsuna does. “I… apologize,” he bites out, “for being unable to save you.”

“You’re fine, Kyoya-nii,” Fuuta says, smiling up at him. “You tried your best.” The displeasure on Kyoya’s face remains.

“How did they beat you, Kyoya-senpai?” Tsuna asks.

Kyoya’s lips twist. He looks to be debating something before reluctantly admitting, “There are… very few people I will truly be careful of. I… cannot be expected to continue on when Rokudo had taken on the image of a Lynx.” Tsuna feels a pang of something like fondness or appreciation. Whatever the emotion is called, it has him slowly wrapping his arms around Kyoya in a hug. Kyoya doesn’t tense as he normally does; he simply lets it happen until Tsuna pulls away.

“You would have known it was an illusion, though,” he says.

“I would still hesitate to hurt you beyond the standard biting.” It's a reluctant admittance. Tsuna wants to hug him again.

“Yes, well, that’s touching, truly,” Rokudo interrupts and gets another scathing glare that he doesn’t acknowledge, “but now that you have your _secret-keeper_ and Prophet back, can we return to the conversation we were supposed to be having? I want to know what _exactly_ is going on here.”

“That’s what I’d like to know as well, Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn agrees, ignoring the disgusted look Rokudo sends his way.

“He doesn’t know a thing, does he?” Rokudo says. Tsuna shrugs sheepishly. Reborn is less than pleased.

 

_iv._

“I… thought you had three _secret-keepers_ ,” Tsuna says slowly, looking at Joshima and Kakimoto. They stand two steps behind Rokudo. They’re both visibly displeased and snarling at where Kyoya stands at his left. Kyoya is glaring at them in return, ready to fight at any moment but otherwise not moving. Everyone else has been locked out of the room to give them privacy.

(“That’s not possible, Dame-Tsuna,” Reborn had argued. For once, he looked angry. “I’m your teacher and I cannot leave you alone with a criminal, whether or not he claims to have good intentions. I have to stay with you.”

“No,” Tsuna insisted. “This is business between him and me. I don’t want you—any of you—sitting in.”

“And those three?” Reborn jerked his head in the direction of Kyoya, Kakimoto, and Joshima. “Why are they going in with you?”

“It’s their job. All three of them _know_ and so they must be present for certain important exchanges.” Tsuna fidgeted with his fingers, but kept his back straight as he stared at Reborn. “Please, Reborn. I’ll tell you all about it as soon as we figure out what to do, but this is something only Rokudo and I can discuss. You know that there’s… something going on. You’ve trusted me before so please, trust me with this now.” Reborn was chillingly silent for a long time. But in the end, he had no choice but to concede. He knew that this discussion was the only way to get things done.

“You keep a _close eye on him_ , Hibari,” he said, turning to Kyoya, who nodded. He was still glaring at Mukuro. Tsuna had the feeling he would never stop hating him)

“I have two,” Rokudo answers. “Lancia just so happens to know about it too, but I don’t trust him with the job. Not that I know what the job _means_.”

Tsuna stares at him. Stares at the way his _air_ shudders around him, frantic and uncertain. Stares at the jerky movements of his Flame and how there’s a barely hidden _fear_ in his eyes. “I don’t recognize the name Rokudo…” he says slowly. “I know all of the surnames connected to my family and the name Rokudo is not one of them.”

“Of course it isn’t,” Rokudo scoffs. “I don’t know what my birth name was meant to be. Rokudo Mukuro is simply the name I’ve gone by all my life. So there are others, are there? Others who have this… this…”

“Sight. It’s called Sight.” Neither of them say anything for a long while. They stare at each other, sizing the other up and looking into whatever the Sight allows them to see. Tsuna can’t see many physical scars on Rokudo’s body, but it is clear that there are _marks_ left on him from whatever trauma he had in the past. “What happened to you, Rokudo-san? Every _seer_ is a part of a family full of _seers_. You should have been taught what everything means. Not to mention… ever since you came into town, all I’ve been able to hear and feel is… anguish. And screams. And death and mourning.”

“I never had a _family_ ,” Rokudo sneers. “Neither by blood nor by mafia. We—by that I mean myself, Chikusa, and Ken—were ‘raised’ by the Estraneo Family. I say ‘raised’ in the loosest sense of the word. We were nothing but _experiments_ to them. Guinea pigs. A lot of children died because of their _research_. And I was the most valuable to them because they figured out that I could _see_ things that they couldn’t. They killed me.” He touches just below his red eye. “This is what I have to show for it.”

As he had before, Tsuna reaches out as though to touch his eye. At Rokudo’s flinch, he doesn’t. He lets his hand hover just next to it. “Your eye _burns_ with hellfire,” he murmurs. Silently, he asks, _Infinity?_

No answer.

“Well, I did die and go to Hell a few times,” Rokudo delivers flatly.

“ _What_?” Again, Tsuna reaches for Infinity. He doesn’t get anything from them except impressions of _regret, sorrow, mourning_. He’s reminded, suddenly, oddly, of Skull’s situation. Of the fact that Skull is a man as old as the earth and that he once had a family in blood and a family in Vongola and both families were taken from him as they grew old and he remained. Of the fact that all Infinity could do was offer their regrets and say that _he is needed_. They don’t respond to Tsuna’s demands for answers.

Rokudo correctly takes Tsuna’s silence for horror and continues, “Yes, I went to Hell and came back. I’ve been reincarnated six times and now I’ve obtained the ability to wield the Six Paths of Reincarnation.”

“ _Seers…_ aren’t supposed to go to Hell,” Tsuna says haltingly. “We’re agents of Infinity. Of… of the Creator. We’re not supposed to go to Hell because Hell is only meant for the _worst_ people, the _irredeemable_ and we’re not. Unless we go _against_ the Creator, we _always_ go to where they can meet us. And I _know_ you’re not irredeemable—I can feel it.”

“Right.” Rokudo scoffs. “Because I’m one of _yours_?”

“Maybe, but also because it’s _obvious_. You care about Kakimoto-san and Joshima-san and they care about you. I’m not sure about Lancia—“

“Lancia is a puppet. Nothing more.”

He’s unsure of how true that statement is, but he lets it go. It’s not as important at the moment. “Okay. So you don’t care about Lancia. But you _do_ care about those two, at least, and there has to be one more person you care about. Your missing wing belongs to them, whoever they are.” He points to the empty area where the second wing should be. “The irredeemable don’t _care_ about people. You do. You shouldn’t have gone to Hell. It makes no sense.”

“That’s a nice sentiment, but you have _no idea_ what I’ve done.”

Tsuna shrugs. “Revenge. Your _air_ rings with it.” He waves a hand. “You want revenge on the mafia for doing… _that_ to you and your friends.”

“They’re _not_ —“

“I don’t understand revenge,” he continues, bulldozing over Rokudo’s protest. “I’ve never felt the need for revenge because I know exactly where my life is supposed to go and what I plan to do with it. But… but I guess the Creator wasn’t kind to you even though they _should have been_ —“ Infinity whispers apologies that Tsuna can’t help but ignore, “and I can’t fault you for being angry. For wanting revenge.”

“I’m going to destroy the mafia,” Rokudo says slowly, eyes narrowed. His body is tense. “I’m going to destroy the mafia, and that will include Vongola.”

“I’ll help you,” Tsuna says simply. Clearly. He almost smiles at the way Rokudo and his _secret-keepers_ gape at him. He lifts his hand to show the string connecting them again. “We’re Bonded. Not yet, but we were always going to meet and you’re _important_. That means I’ll be there for you every step of the way. As reluctant as they may be, so will the others. And I said before—I don’t want to be a mafia boss. I’m not meant to be a criminal.”

“You’re the only accepted heir to the seat. You don’t have a choice.”

“Vongola was created as a vigilante organization. I can bring it back.”

(There was a lightness to Skull’s voice when he had talked about his second family. He _loved_ Primo and his Guardians and he loved what he tried to do with Vongola. Then he became unspeakably bitter as he detailed the bloody history that came after.

“When you take over Vongola,” Skull had said just before he left that last time, “bring Vongola back to its roots. _Please_. Giotto never wanted this for his Family.” Tsuna knew he would have done so anyway, even without Skull asking.

But it was certainly motivation)

Rokudo barks a mocking laugh. “Right. As though they would let you.”

“I will. And when I do, I’ll fix the mafia while I’m at it. Our goals are similar. Let me help you.”

Rokudo crosses his arms. His mocking smirk has melted into a scowl. “Explain this ‘Sight’ to me first. Then maybe I’ll help you, but don’t count on it.”

Tsuna has only told the _story_ once before, and that had been to Kyoya when he became _secret-keeper_. His mother told Asuka and Kazuki and Skull had told the Vongola First Generation. None of them had been _seers_. None of them knew what it was like to see fae and hear the wind and simply _know_ things that would decide the future. Rokudo, though, is another _seer_ , and yet he never actually knew what that meant.

Tsuna is suddenly struck by the realization that he must have been _terrified_ as a child, and his situation wouldn’t have helped. He sighs and settles on the nearest surface. The chair is uncomfortably hard. “Okay. I’ll tell you about the Sight. Ask your questions.”

 

_v._

Rokudo crosses his legs. “You have a lot of faith in this _god_ of yours. You know I’m an atheist?”

Tsuna shrugs. “This is how it is. But you can’t deny that the world looks different to you than it does to everyone else." They're both quiet, and then he asks, "Have you decided yet? Whether you’ll accept the Bond and let us help each other?”

Rokudo taps his finger on his knee and doesn’t speak for a while. “…I won’t accept the Bond. Not now and perhaps not ever. I don’t _know_ you and frankly, I don’t agree with your god.” Tsuna feels a pang of annoyance at that, but he nods regardless. He can’t deny that Infinity is being odd about the situation and especially Rokudo. “But I’ll go along with you for now. You have more knowledge than I do, as much as it pains me to admit. I don’t know everything about the Sight and I’ll need to learn. We are… not on _opposing_ sides, so this is the most advantageous route I can take. For now.”

Tsuna smiles and nods eagerly. “Great! Mama will be happy to have more guests in our house.”

“Oh god,” Rokudo mutters.

Before much more can be said, they both stiffen. A chilly air fills the room, but nothing enters. The next moment, shocked cries and choked gasps emerge from the room their friends are in. Tsuna looks at Rokudo and sees a fear in his eyes that is vastly different from the fear he had when he realized what Tsuna was. Kakimoto and Joshima, when he looks at them, mirror the same fear. _This_ fear is not fear of the unknown, but rather, fear of the _known_.

“ _Sawada Tsunayoshi,_ ” booms a voice that sends shivers up Tsuna’s spine, “ _release to us Rokudo Mukuro, Kakimoto Chikusa, and Joshima Ken so that they may be imprisoned for their crimes_.”

Tsuna doesn’t react. He looks at Rokudo and watches the way his fog spasms, watches Kakimoto and Joshima back away, watches the almost unnoticeable twitches of Rokudo’s fingers. Kyoya takes up a position in front of the door, holding his tonfas up in defense and allowing Tsuna to hurry to Rokudo’s side.

“Rokudo-san, what’s going on?” he asks frantically and doesn’t get a response. “Rokudo-san! Kakimoto-san? Joshima-san?” He looks to the other two, but they only shake their heads. It’s as though their throats are no longer working. He looks at Rokudo again. “Rokudo-san! Mukuro!”

His eyes snap to Tsuna’s. He takes a shuddering breath and then glances back at the door that Kyoya has stationed himself in front of. Then, in a stuttering whisper, he says, “ _Vindice_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was this just a way for me to avoid having to write action scenes?? Actually no, but it's definitely a bonus.  
> Originally, Mukuro didn't have the Sight and was only missing his other half. Also, Tsuna was supposed to be having a breakdown, but instead he's just having a minor mental crisis. Or he will be. Soon. Because conflict. Also also, I wanted Mukuro to have bat wings but then I remembered Mukurowl, so instead, he has dark owl wings that are really damaged.
> 
> **Kyoya vs Mukuro:** Kyoya never got the Sakura Disease, so I had to improvise. Mukuro took on the image on Tsuna when he confronted him. Kyoya immediately hesitated, which gave Mukuro the leg up he needed to beat him. Knowing that he wouldn't be able to do that again, he tied him up.
> 
> **Mukuro's Reasoning:** Mukuro is smart. He wants to destroy the mafia, but he's had this Sight for as long as he could remember and he knew absolutely nothing about it. Being able to see and know things with no understanding of why would be very irritating, and here is Tsuna, willing to help him. It's much more advantageous to have the future Vongola Decimo on your side, who also happens to be able to answer your questions about yourself, than it is to try to kill him. So in case you're wondering why Mukuro is so easily going along with Tsuna, that's why.
> 
> The manga is officially derailed! Next chapter isn't exactly finished yet, but I'm about halfway. I kind of miss my original plan for this arc because I had a scene planned out where Tsuna was absolutely freaking out and it was so heart-wrenching. As I said before though, this is still good and I think what I have planned here is actually better for Tsuna's development.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thanks for reading!


	16. scintilla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Explanations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY for my month-long silence! Umm, long story short: summer classes + birthday preparations + life in general + friends wanting to hang out + procrastination skills = no writing. (I did write a POV Outsider on Tsuna & friends in high school though? If you're interested at all?) I had a little less than half of this chapter written and I just zoomed through the rest of it today. Not sure when I'll be getting the next one written, but hopefully within the next two weeks.
> 
> As always, please enjoy! And again, I'm so sorry for the late update (but in retrospect, this is far from the longest it's ever taken me to update)

_i._

“Vindice…” The word sounds familiar. Distantly, Tsuna can remember hearing the word on Skull’s tongue, but not the context. It had been a passing conversation, one of millions that he must have filed as unimportant. “Mukuro-san, who are the Vindice?”

“They regulate the mafia,” he answers through clenched teeth.

Something bangs on the door, making them all flinch, and the same booming voice from before says, “ _Sawada Tsunayoshi! Hand over Rokudo Mukuro and his accomplices!_ ”

Immediately after, Reborn’s voice calls, “Tsuna! Get out here now!” Tsuna doesn’t dare to look at the door for too long, immediately turning to the three who are quietly muttering to one another. This _presence_ doesn’t feel _malevolent_ , exactly, but his Intuition rings and the chill in the air spells nothing completely _good_ either. The warning tells Tsuna that he cannot let the Vindice have Mukuro—and Joshima and Kakimoto belong to Mukuro as well, so they can’t go either.

“What will they do to you if they take you?” he asks. His shoulders tense as someone bangs on the door, but he trusts Kyoya to watch it.

Mukuro sneers as he turns to him. “If they take us, we’ll be _chained_. We did the world a service getting rid of those good-for-nothing Families and they want to _punish_ us for it.”

It’s not much of an explanation, but it’s enough for Tsuna. He nods, mind running as fast as he can as Reborn’s insistence increases. He nibbles on his bottom lip and paces.

“ _Sawada Tsunayoshi, we will give you ten seconds to open the door_.”

Infinity, silent since Mukuro revealed himself, finally speaks. Tsuna still isn’t quite happy with them, but he listens. Their advice is invaluable. _The Vindice are **ancient**_ , they say. _They will know the Himura name. They will know my beloved child._ He blinks at the unexpected information. The Vindice must be old to know the title of ‘most beloved.’

“Okay,” he breathes. He spins and approaches the door. Kyoya steps back to let him pass. “I know what to do. I won’t let them take you three, or Lancia.” They don’t respond. They must be skeptical. That’s okay, Tsuna thinks, because he’ll get them out. He won’t let any of _his_ suffer, nor will he let the people important to them suffer either.

 

_ii._

With one look at the Vindice, Tsuna stumbles back. He’s getting awfully tired of being shocked. Kyoya steadies him as Joshima and Kakimoto do the same with Mukuro. The chill practically seeps into Tsuna’s bones without the door to separate them. He shudders, wrapping his arms around himself.

(The dead are not supposed to walk in barely living bodies)

“Tsuna,” Reborn says sharply. “Hand over Rokudo and his gang to the Vindice.”

Tsuna doesn’t look at him, doesn’t acknowledge him or Takeshi or Hayato or Bianchi. Fuuta runs to them, hiding his face in Kyoya’s jeans. Tsuna keeps looking at the Vindice. They’re _not right_. How is the mafia full of such _wrong_?

“How are you possible?” he croaks. “You’re supposed to be _dead_ , you shouldn’t—what happened to you? This isn’t—“ He can’t see any of their faces, but the displeasure comes off of them in waves.

“ _Give us Rokudo Mukuro_ ,” one of them says, voice scratchy and _off_.

He shakes his head. He couldn’t let the shock get to him. Something is definitely wrong with the Vindice, but that’s not as _important_. Not now. He has to keep his Bonded, his Guardian, safe. “No,” he says, voice as steady as he can manage. “No, Mukuro is _mine_. He’s Bonded which means he belongs to me and wherever he goes, the other three go too.”

“ _You may be Vongola Decimo, but we cannot hand off four criminals to you_.”

“You will.”

“ _We will not. Rokudo Mukuro is a murderer of the worst kind and his accomplices are just as guilty._ ”

“Rokudo Mukuro was a victim of human experimentation and exposed to nothing but the worst kinds of people in the mafia!”

That gives them pause, but it’s only for a split second before they continue, “ _Regardless, he and his companions massacred many Families without cause. They must atone._ ”

“And I will _deal_ with that, but what Mukuro needs now is another _seer_ to help him and I cannot just let one of my own be locked up! He’s _missing_ an entire part of himself and your prison won’t do anything but make things worse!” His hands are clenched at his side. The Seal on him cracks, almost completely gone but not yet, not completely, but still enough to make his eyes blaze and his body _heats_ in the way only Fire can.

“ _Did you say…_ seer _?_ ”

His Flame must be present on his head. He still remembers that _warmth_ from so long ago that he can only get in five minute increments when Reborn shoots him, and for once, this _warmth_ is entirely his. If he could, he would be taking that moment to relish in it. “Rokudo Mukuro is Bonded to me,” he repeats calmly. Dangerously. “He will become one of my Elements, but he is also more than that. My name is Himura Tsunayoshi, grandson of Himura Masuyo, nephew of the man most beloved, and Rokudo Mukuro is a  _seer_ taken from his home and he is also  _mine_. You are _ancient_. That means you _must_ have had contact with my uncle and others, once. The Creator told me you did.”

They stare at him. He stares back, eyes level. “ _You…_ ” another rasps, “ _are the nephew of the man most favored?_ ”

“Yes.” ‘Uncle’ is not a word he often uses for Skull. It gets too complicated when his mother already calls him so, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

They nod slowly. “ _We have some of yours with us. Is your Bonded… important?_ ”

“Very.”

“ _If we refuse, what will happen?_ ”

Tsuna tilts his head, listening for a future that doesn’t want to be heard. “I don’t know,” he says honestly, “but there are things that must be done. I’ve been Sealed for years. I can’t recover without all of my Guardians, and I have to be _warm_ to do what needs to be done.”

They’re silent, contemplating what to do. They have a duty to the mafia, but Tsuna will run if he has to. He hopes that the Vindice will understand. It's hard for normal humans, though.

“ _Very well._ ” Hope wells in Tsuna’s chest, but he doesn’t dare let it show. He needs to be unshakeable for now. “ _Our comrades have told us of the Creator’s **will**. We have had lifetimes to come to terms. Rokudo Mukuro and his three companions are yours. But…_ ” They pause. “ _But, if he is to commit another crime worthy of being imprisoned, we will be taking him. Grow into your role quickly, Himura Tsunayoshi. And give Skull our regards_.” Reborn startles at the name. With a dramatic sweep of their cloaks, the Vindice begin to leave.

“Wait!” Tsuna calls at the last moment. There’s still one question burning in his mind. “What are you? How are you dead and still walking?”

They freeze. Only one turns to him. “ _That… is not your concern, Himura-san._ ” Those are their final words. Tsuna doesn’t have the opportunity to insist before they’ve already disappeared. The _warmth_ seeps from his body and the chill lingers. He doesn’t complete relax until he’s certain they’re gone.

Immediately, everyone begins to speak at once. Hayato and Takeshi demand answers, Bianchi comments on the situation, Lancia apologizes for something, and Tsuna hears none of it. He turns slowly to Mukuro instead. There are flashes of _relief, shock, distrust, confusion,_  all of which are better than the alternative. He smiles and Mukuro frowns.

“Don’t expect me to say thank you,” he says. His voice abruptly halts everyone else’s attempts at speaking.

“I don’t,” Tsuna says easily. “You four will be staying with us until we can figure out a better arrangement. Mama probably wants to talk to you, Mukuro-san. She’s better at words than I am.” There’s no doubt in his mind that Nana has already begun preparing new rooms for everyone.

Finally, Tsuna looks at Reborn. He’s the only one who hasn’t spoken a word. The look on his face is contemplative and a little irritated. He sees Tsuna looking and his face turns determined. “Dame-Tsuna,” he says, “you owe us an explanation.”

Tsuna nods. “I do.”

 

_iii._

The walk home isn’t quiet. Hayato and Takeshi don’t understand what’s happened, but are exuberant about it nonetheless. They sing nothing but praises and Tsuna laughs sheepishly, cheeks red with embarrassment. Fuuta nods along with each compliment sent his way, declaring Tsuna to be the best brother ever. Kyoya dogs his steps so closely he may as well be a shadow. Reborn and Bianchi trail behind the group of them, keeping close watch on Mukuro and his gang. Tsuna trusts in Mukuro’s need for knowledge and freedom, but he appreciates the extra protection.

Nana opens the door as they approach, smile perfectly cheerful. She opens her mouth to greet them and then abruptly stops. Her eyes widen as she sees the wing on Mukuro’s back, hands flying to her mouth. Mukuro glowers at her. “Oh,” she murmurs. “Oh, that’s… come inside, all of you. I started some tea, and espresso for you Reborn, but if you’d like water or anything in particular, please tell me. Go, go on inside.” She ushers everyone inside. Tsuna lingers by the door as everyone piles into the living room. She looks at him and places her hands on her hips. “So? What happened? I was just told to prepare a few rooms and start making snacks.”

“The one with the wing is the convict we were looking for,” Tsuna says truthfully. “Mukuro-san. There was a lot going on so I ended up passing out. We had a discussion about what to do, but now I don’t think we can keep things from everyone.”

Nana hums and nods. “Yes, that’s what I expected. Do we need to call Uncle?”

“I’ll call him. Can you… do you think it would be better for you to talk to Mukuro-san now while I’m calling Skull or later, when I’m done explaining everything?” Tsuna plays with his fingers, unable to stand still.

“It would be best if I could speak to him later, but you should call him soon to give him warning. Now, Tsu-kun.” She steps forward and takes his face in her hands, rubbing her thumb over his cheek. “How are you doing?”

Tsuna feels like a kid again. Like he’s young and freshly Sealed and he’s reduced to barely being able to function without Skull’s interference and Kyoya’s help. His mother looks at him like she wants to hide him away again. He wants to hide, too. “I’m… tired,” he admits. The adrenaline has faded and the exhaustion is wearing down on him. “I was caught off-guard when I met Mukuro-san and I passed out. His Sight must be skewed. Then I met the Vindice—they’re basically the mafia police and they’re _dead_ but somehow _alive_ and they feel like… like Reborn and Skull but they’re _dead_ and I don’t get it. I had to yell at them and _ignore it_ because Mukuro-san and his friends are more important and I’m… Mama, I’m so tired.” He leans forward, head falling onto her chest as she wraps her arms around him. Her fingers stroke gently through his hair.

(Reborn’s presence is easily felt nearby, watching them but not interfering. Even he has the basic sense not to interrupt)

Nana waits for him to recover. He breathes deeply for a minute, two, and then pulls back. “Okay,” he says. “Okay, I’m going to call Skull now. We’ll need him in Japan as soon as possible.”

“Okay, sweetie,” Nana says softly. “I’ll go get those snacks and drinks for your friends.”

“Thank you, Mama.” He nods and leaves to find the house phone.

 

_iv._

The phone rings twice before Skull picks up. “ _You’ve reached the great Skull-sama!_ ” he says cheerfully on the other line.

“Oji-sama?” Tsuna says. Silence rings on the other end for two seconds too long.

“ _Mou, Tsuna-chan. If you’re calling me that, this must be serious. What’s up, kiddo?_ ” The only time Tsuna ever addresses him so formally is when the conversation needs to be serious. Those times have always been few.

“Reborn had me find and arrest Rokudo Mukuro, who escaped from the Vindice. I was planning on dealing with it, but then… Oji-sama, Mukuro-san has the Sight. It’s—I passed out upon seeing him and I had a conversation with him before the Vindice showed up, and then the Vindice _did_ show up and I blurted out a bunch of things and—“

“ _Slow down there, Tsuna-chan! I think I’ve got the picture. You need me to help explain stuff now, yeah?_ ”

“Well, yes, but also, um… Mukuro-san… he only has one wing and it’s. It’s kind of destroyed? It’s burnt in some places and torn in others and he’s definitely missing another half of him. ‘Rokudo’ clearly wasn’t his original name, so while you’re on your way, do you think you could… I don’t know, look up if any _seer_ families lost any children around fourteen years ago?”

Skull hums contemplatively. “ _Yes, that is… concerning. I’ll look into it. If I leave now, I can get to Namimori by tomorrow afternoon._ ”

“That works. Thank you, Ji-sama. Oh, one more thing.”

“ _Hm_?”

“How…” Tsuna hesitates. “What’s up with the Vindice? I kind of remember you telling me about them, and all Infinity has been saying is that they’re _ancient_ and so they know about you, but that doesn’t… I just don’t understand.”

“ _Ah, the Vindice_.” Skull chuckles lowly. It’s a bit of an empty sound. “ _They’re difficult to explain. You have to explain things to your friends, so I don’t want to keep you. I’ll tell you when I get there. Infinity is right, though—they’re **ancient**. It’s impossible for a few of us to not have become one of them. If I recall correctly, one of the higher-ups is a **seer** too. Does that help?_ ”

“I—yes, thank you.”

“ _Of course, Tsuna-chan,_ ” he says warmly. “ _Go talk to your friends now, alright? They must be getting impatient._ ”

“I will. Bye, Oji-sama.”

“ _See you soon, Tsuna-chan._ ”

Click.

 

_v._

Takeshi and the kids are nibbling on the cookies that Nana had brought out, but everyone else is too tense to try to eat. Tsuna smiles gratefully at his mother, who is standing against one of the walls. Reborn stares at him judgmentally from his place atop the coffee table.

“Alright, Dame-Tsuna,” he says seriously. “This has gone on long enough. It’s time you start telling us what’s going on with you.”

“Right.” Tsuna nods. He sits gingerly on the couch in the area between Hayato and Takeshi. They must have kept the seat open for him purely on habit. Kyoya is standing behind him, arms crossed like some sort of bodyguard. “This is… not easy. This is a secret that very select people are privy to, and rarely do we find ourselves forced to tell groups of people at once. I’ve only ever told Kyoya before, and that was when I could barely think in actual sentences. His parents had to translate and it took him a long time to be able to understand me too.”

“Get to the point,” Reborn says.

“Right, sorry. Um… so Mama’s family isn’t exactly normal. Dad has mafia and Flames and all that stuff on his side—oh, Mama’s always known, don’t worry—“ he amends as Reborn and Bianchi shoot warning glances toward Nana, “but Mama’s side of the family is a bit more complicated. We see…” He frowns. The Sight isn’t something that could be described in words. The Sight is premonitions, feelings, and creatures that no one else could ever hope to comprehend. There are no words that could be used to explain in the traditional sense. “We can simply _see_ in ways that you guys can’t,” he settles on. “Takeshi, you have an idea of what I mean, right?”

“Uh… Is this about how you told me for like, seven years that you hate my mask?” Takeshi asks. Tsuna nods and smiles. While they hadn’t been friends for long, they had still grown up together, if distantly. Takeshi knew the rumors about him and had been subject to his vague warnings for years. Of course he would be the first to get it.

“The reason I said that Takeshi wears a mask is because I can physically see his mask,” he explains. “It reflects his true emotions. I always knew when he was irritated or upset because it was so plainly on his face. When I first met Hayato, there was this… _silence_. It was like the area around him was just completely deafened. He sounds like a piano now. A very nice piano. I-Pin is a dragon, a child of the wind. Lambo’s footsteps sound like a thousand running bulls. Mama has beautiful dove wings. Bianchi is surrounded by color all of the time because her emotions are always amplified. Reborn…” He tilts his head. “Reborn, that pacifier you wear traps your true form, doesn’t it? There are ropes binding that Fire in your chest.”

Reborn stiffens, then narrows his eyes. “How do you know that?”

Tsuna taps the side of his face next to his right eye. “I told you—I can _see_. We have what’s called the Sight and we call each other _seers_. It’s an inherited trait.”

“Can we believe that?” Bianchi asks, sounding dubious.

“You people have Flames,” Nana speaks up. She’s smiling. Ever smiling. “You will almost die and then jump up while on fire. You’re like phoenixes. How is a little bit of magic so different?”

“There’s no way for you to see what we see, or hear what we hear,” Tsuna continues, “but I can tell you that Fuuta and Mukuro-san both have the Sight. That’s why we had to stop fighting.”

“Knowledge is the most vital thing a person can have,” Mukuro adds. “It was much more beneficial for me to stop the fighting than to keep suffering these _visions_. Who said you could call me by my name?” Tsuna shrugs.

“Well, I think this just makes the Tenth even _more_ amazing!” Hayato proclaims before anyone could say anything else.

“Thank you, Hayato!” Tsuna beams. Hayato blushes and ducks his head. “I think… that’s everything you _need_ to know. I could tell you more, but it’s getting late.”

“I have questions,” Reborn says. Tsuna wants to walk away anyway, but doesn’t. He stays sitting and doesn’t let his body sag.

“Okay,” he says.

“Two things. One: The Vindice said _Skull_. What did they mean?”

He had known that would be one of his questions. “The man most favored currently goes by the name Skull de Mort,” he answers stiffly. “I don’t know if any of the Vindice know him personally, but all _seers_ know who he is.”

“He has also chosen to consider himself my Uncle,” Nana adds. “But the rest of that explanation can wait for when Uncle comes, alright, Reborn-chan?”

“Skull is coming?” Reborn asks.

“What’s your other question?” Tsuna deflects.

(He’s so tired)

Reborn clicks his tongue, obviously displeased. Tsuna is reminded of every reason why, for all that he knows he can trust him, he’s still wary of this man in a baby’s body. “Fine. When you were speaking to the Vindice, you mentioned being Sealed.” It’s not a question. Tsuna answers anyway, ignoring the gasps from Hayato and Bianchi, as well as Kyoya and Fuuta’s sudden still.

“When I was… I think I was around six, maybe, when Dad saw me fall out of a tree,” Tsuna begins slowly. His fists clench on his lap. “My Flames saved me. At the time, the Vongola Ninth was there. They didn’t want me getting involved in the mafia, so they Sealed me.”

“That’s—that’s—“ Hayato sputters. In the corner of his eye, Tsuna can see his eyes are wide and infuriated and his face is red.

“You were already Active?” Reborn asks sharply.

“The things that can do to an Active Flame user, let alone a _Sky_ is...” Bianchi whispers, horrified. It’s a bit touching to see their anger on his behalf. It meant that Skull and the Hibaris weren’t outliers when they had practically destroyed entire rooms when they learned about his Sealing.

“Skull explained to me what Sealing an Active Sky means,” he continues. “It’s even worse when that Sky also has the Sight. I said earlier that when I told Kyoya-senpai about my Sight, I could barely think in full sentences. When you Seal someone with the Sight, everything you _see_ becomes amplified, so not only could I not concentrate and trip over my own two feet every other step, but I couldn’t just ignore the Sight and carry on like normal. It’s… it’s all _there_ , in front of my face and it won’t _go away_ and nothing would _shut up_   which meant I couldn't _think_  and it's pure luck that I could manage to get through school and—and today is the clearest day I’ve had in over _seven years_ because of my  _damn father_."

Silence rings. He blinks at his lap. His knuckles are white, his shoulders tense. He lets out a heavy exhale. It’s been a long time since he had lost his temper over his Sealing all those years ago. Or maybe he had just been suppressing it for so long, and all of the stress from the events of today are getting to him.

“Sorry,” he says abruptly. He sits up and stares at the wall, past Lancia’s shoulder from where he’s standing against it. “I’m… I’m going to bed. We can talk in the morning.” He stands, brushing off Hayato and Takeshi’s concern with an utterly plastic smile. Reborn doesn’t try to stop him as he hurries up the stairs.

He can’t wait to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up a lot more italics and Tsuna slowly realizing that he is very much Not Okay than I originally planned. Um. Whoops.
> 
>  **Vindice:** Listen, the chances of there not being at least a couple _seers_ in the Vindice is very little. Skull managed to hide from Kawahira, partially due to Infinity's warnings, but others wouldn't have been so lucky. I imagine the Vindice to be rather close-knit too, so there's no way the _seers_ wouldn't tell the others about the Sight. As a result, the Vindice all know the names of the families with the Sight and Skull himself, as well as what the Sight means and yada yada yada. There's a little more to be unpacked, I think, but I think that's everything that won't be discussed later.
> 
> So I hope this chapter was up to your standards! It got a little heavier than I planned for it, but at the same time, not as heavy as it was first supposed to be. Also, if you're wondering about Ryohei--he's in the hospital! He's recovering! Tsuna wouldn't make him come to his house while he's still injured! He'll tell him at a later time.  
> And that's a wrap! I think. Well, anyway, thank you so much for your patience, and thank you for reading!


	17. numinous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reborn thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And if you look to your left, you'll see me, _screaming._  
>  I have a flight in a few hours, but I was up at 4am finishing this chapter because I really wanted to get it out. I'm soooo sorry that I haven't updated! This chapter just didn't want to work with me. I tried writing in Tsuna's POV, but it didn't pan out, so I switched to Reborn. Then I spent too much time trying to have Fuuta explain and that didn't work out either, until I remembered that time skips are my friend.
> 
> Please take this entirely unedited and painstakingly stitched together chapter. I hope you enjoy, at least?

_i._

“Come with me, Mukuro-kun, and we’ll talk about the Sight,” Nana says, motioning for Rokudo to follow her. “Your friends are free to come, but if the rest of you can stay here, that’d be great. Oh, Fuuta-kun, please put I-Pin and Lambo to bed, then come back and explain things, okay? Thank you. And Kyoya-kun?”

Hibari looks at her with a questioning hum.

“Are you comfortable staying for a little while longer?”

Hibari is hesitant as he glances around the room. He hasn’t moved from his spot, but Reborn can tell that he has become more antsy the longer he stays. “No… I will be leaving, but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay. Get some rest.” Nana smiles softly, casts a concerned glance at everyone, and exits the room. Rokudo doesn’t hesitate to follow, and after a moment, the other three go after him. Fuuta leaves the room too, carrying I-Pin and Lambo and ignoring their complaints about not being tired. Hibari doesn’t say a word as he, too, leaves.

It’s probably for the best that they’re left alone. Even Reborn needs a few moments to process the information piled on them. Tsuna has been whimsical and not exactly _present_ for as long as Reborn has been there; this ‘Sight’ would certainly explain a lot about it. It’s impossible, though. It’s _magic_ , which isn’t comprehensible. Flames are a part of Will, but there are a lot of scientists who are able to study and explain at least some parts of their existence, despite their continued mysteries. It doesn’t make sense that an entire group of people who otherwise should be unrelated have the ability to see _things_. It’s obviously not like Flames, present in everybody and simply needing to be unlocked, so he can’t figure out how it works.

But, Reborn thinks, Tsuna has never been the type to get _too_ emotional. He gets irritated and he flails at times and he’s a teenager, as he should be, but it was always subdued action. Reborn hadn’t thought much of it, but now in the face of the near-hysteria and obvious exhaustion weighing down on him, he realizes that there was a lot that he must have been suppressing.

It feels like Fuuta takes far too long to return without the other children. The silence stretches, clock ticking. Even Yamamoto doesn’t have the energy to say anything. If anything, he looks just as contemplative as Gokudera in that moment. Bianchi doesn’t seem to know what to think.

When Fuuta comes back, he wears a serene smile on his face. Reborn hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he realizes how unnerving it is. There’s something about him that’s too bright, too knowing. It’s not often that Reborn doesn’t notice things.

“Mama says I’m supposed to be explaining everything you want to know,” he says. “I think what Tsuna-nii likes to do first though is tell the story. He left that out in his explanation. Um… I don’t have it memorized completely, but I’ll try. Listen closely.”

 

_ii._

Nana makes Reborn stay out of Tsuna’s room that night. “He’s wobbly right now,” she says. “It just wouldn’t be good for him if he woke up to you in the room. Stay with Bianchi-chan tonight, please.” There’s something so utterly sad in her eyes that Reborn has no choice but to agree. He probably wouldn’t have went into the room anyway; it’s obvious that Tsuna needs to be alone.

Yamamoto spends the night too, unwilling to lead when he too has noticed that something. He stays in Gokudera’s room.

Morning finds the dining table devoid of Tsuna. Reborn wants to go to his room and force him out of bed, but Nana shakes her head at him as though she knows what he’s thinking. Maybe she does. He’s still not entirely certain of everything Fuuta had said.

Rokudo and his gang begrudgingly eat breakfast with the rest of them, but the tension is too thick for any conversation to be had. Even Lambo and I-Pin notice it and they keep silent after Fuuta whispers to them. As soon as breakfast is over, Rokudo retreats somewhere in a haze of Mist Flames. It has Reborn on edge, but Nana says, “Oh, they’re just upstairs. I’m keeping an eye on them.” It doesn’t fill him with much confidence, but he leaves it be. Bianchi leaves soon after, claiming to need to go on a short journey to think. Nana lets her.

“When is Dame-Tsuna coming down?” Lambo whines, kicking his feet. I-Pin nods, wondering the same thing but unsure of how to express it.

“Tsu-kun is very tired right now, Lambo-chan,” Nana tells him gently. “You’ll have to wait until he comes down.”

“Don’t try to go into his room!” Fuuta adds as Lambo adopts a mischievous look.

“What _is_ he doing, Mama?” Reborn asks as the kids argue over what to do. Yamamoto and Gokudera perk up in interest.

“He’s awake,” Nana answers and sighs. “The town usually tends to wake up when he does, unless there’s something odd going on, so I know he’s awake. But I wasn’t lying—Tsu-kun is very tired. You can’t bother him right now. That goes for the two of you, too.” She looks at Yamamoto and Gokudera seriously. For once, there’s absolutely nothing flighty about her. Even the night before, she had done nothing but sit serenely as always.

“Is… does your Sight know if he’s okay?” Gokudera asks hesitantly.

Nana breaks into a soft smile. “Don’t you worry, Hayato-kun, Takeshi-kun. He’ll pick himself right up. You have to admit that yesterday was awfully stressful.”

“It was kind of fun, actually!” Yamamoto pipes up, as falsely exuberant as always. “Well, until Mukuro walked up to us with Tsuna. That was kind of scary. But the whole Sight thing is pretty cool! I’m glad to finally know what’s up with Tsuna.” That last sentence is, at least, sincere. Reborn shares the sentiment, even though he still doesn’t quite believe in it. The evidence is flimsy, but it’s there, and even too much flimsy evidence can mean something.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t grab him?” he asks.

“Absolutely. Tsu-kun is willing to deal with a lot of things, but when he’s stressed like this, you shouldn’t force him. He needs to come out on his own before we can do anything, or else he won’t be able to prepare himself or rest. Okay, Reborn-chan?”

He gets the feeling that she’s making a subtle dig at his teaching methods.  That’s fair, he supposes. He’s not a big fan of letting his students go at their own pace, though he does revise how he teaches after he learns more about them. He has found that he does need to drag Tsuna out to do things often; he gets distracted too easily and he complains about the mafia too much and if Reborn went at his pace, they would never get anywhere.

But this time, it’s Tsuna’s mental wellbeing at stake. Reborn can’t claim to have a very mentally sound institution himself, but he’s also a trained hitman and an adult despite his body. Tsuna is a fourteen year old civilian for all that he needs to learn not to be—he can’t treat Tsuna’s health the way he does with his own.

“Okay, Mama,” he agrees.

 

_iii._

Tsuna finally leaves his room well past noon as it approaches one in the afternoon. The moment they hear his footsteps, Gokudera and Yamamoto rush towards the stairs to greet him. Reborn remains in the living room, but he listens closely.

“Tenth! You’re okay!” Gokudera exclaims. Tsuna laughs sheepishly.

“Yeah, I’m sorry if I worried you,” he says. He doesn’t sound tired or stressed, but Reborn isn’t inclined to believe that he’s completely okay just yet.

“Maa, Tsuna, it’s our job as your best friends to worry,” Yamamoto says.

The conversation isn’t anything notable. Tsuna tries to assure the other two that he’s perfectly fine, just tired, and they don’t believe him. Reborn silently notes on how Tsuna sounds so much _clearer_ than he ever has before. It’s surprisingly relieving.

Nana’s movements have stilled. She’s listening too. She notices Reborn looking at her and smiles, almost sadly. “I’m so happy,” she murmurs. “Tsuna has always been a lonely child, even if he says he’s fine with how things are. I’m glad he has friends now, other than Kyoya-kun. And for that, I’m thankful to you, too, Reborn-chan. Even if Tsu-kun still doesn’t know what to think of you.”

“He’s still wary of me,” Reborn says.

“Well, you’re not exactly soft on him, but he does like you. He just doesn’t trust you. With his feelings, at least. Give it time, Reborn. The world tells us you’re not a bad person.” He doesn’t have anything to say to that.

He sips his espresso.

Tsuna walks in with Gokudera on his right and Yamamoto on his left. Reborn’s teaching part of him is proud at the thoughtless formation, but he pushes that down. There’s a cautious and tired look in Tsuna’s eyes that tells him that bringing up the mafia would just lead to more stress.

“Hi, Reborn,” Tsuna says, managing a smile for him.

Reborn nods in greeting. “Tsuna. How are you feeling?”

“Um.” A beat. “I’m fine? Uh, I mean, yesterday was pretty stressful, so I wasn’t really willing to get up quite yet. Thank you for not, um, bothering me before I came down.”

“Mama insisted,” Reborn says as though to distance himself from his own worry. Tsuna’s smile softens and he nods knowingly. Nana chooses that moment to swoop down and pull him into a tight hug. Tsuna returns it slowly, letting her fuss before asking for Rokudo and his friends’ whereabouts.

“Oh, they’re somewhere in the house doing whatever it is they do,” Nana answers with a noncommittal wave of her hand. “I spoke to Mukuro-kun last night and I think he’s still processing. His friends likely help, but his other half is still gone. We need to fix that.”

“I asked Skull to look into it,” Tsuna says.

“Oh good!” Nana smiles brightly. “Now, sit down. I’ll have lunch ready for you in a moment.” He sits across from Reborn as she bustles into the kitchen. Yamamoto and Gokudera, still unwilling to leave him alone, sit down too. It’s reasonably quiet for a whole five minutes while the three of them talk about utterly mundane things and Tsuna tries to explain what he sees on his friends until the children come running in.

“Dame-Tsuna!” Lambo exclaims, latching on to Tsuna’s leg. He pouts angrily up at him. I-Pin has her arms wrapped around Tsuna’s other leg. “Where were you?”

“Ah, sorry, Lambo. I was really tired last night.” Tsuna laughs sheepishly. He reaches down to pick up him and I-Pin. Fuuta stands beside him, looking somewhat subdued and relieved at once.

“Stupid! You weren’t here to play!” Lambo huffs. “And I wanna know more about your magic!”

“I explained a little bit after you went to bed, but I can’t explain everything,” Fuuta says and sends a small smile his way. “I’m glad you’re okay, Tsuna-nii.” Tsuna reaches over to ruffle his hair, balancing the other two on his lap.

“Thank you. What did you tell them?”

“He first told us about your ‘Creator’ and how the world was created,” Reborn begins, only to be cut off by Tsuna.

“ _Worlds_ ,” he says idly. “Multiple. There’s an infinite number of universes, all governed by one Creator and perhaps having their own gods, but never necessarily the same.”

“Right,” Reborn says dubiously. He’s not sure of the idea of a ‘god.’ He had always preferred to think that one didn’t exist. “Well, he told us that story, and then he tried to explain how the Sight worked. Metaphors and visions? And you guys can tell who you are because you all have... wings.”

“I guess. It’s complicated. A lot of it is just instinctual feelings and symbolism, and also listening to everything. Nature has voices, you know.”

“…Voices?”

“Not, um, actual voices. Most of nature only speaks in actions and not words. I think the only ones who use words are the Creator, the stars, the fae, and animals, if you can learn their languages. Everyone else sort of _projects_ their emotions and makes movements. Like, um, when you came to town, the ground began to crack a little bit and the trees rustled a lot and the sun was just a tiny bit brighter. The town was kind of excited.” He scratches his cheek, a bit pink in the face.

Reborn reclines back in his chair. “Interesting.” Verde would probably love to hear more, and maybe Viper too. Viper has always had strange interests. But Reborn doesn’t want to let either of them get their hands on his student. Who knows what they may try to do to get answers? “Well, in any case, the final thing that Fuuta told us is that you have some sort of destiny. He didn’t tell us much more than that.”

“Oh. That.” Tsuna’s face drops. There’s something so _sad_ in his expression that something uncomfortable rests like a dead weight in the pit of his stomach.

“Tenth? Are you okay?” Gokudera asks, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

“Ah, yes, I’m—“ Tsuna cuts off at Yamamoto’s sharp expression. He chuckles nervously. “I-I mean… I’ll tell you later, alright? I promise it’s not that bad. But, um, anyway, yes. Skull can probably tell you more, but it goes that I have a grand fate in store for myself. It’s just kind of something all _seers_ can tell. I don’t know how to explain it. I know it relates to the whole mafia boss thing, but being a criminal isn’t an end-all-be-all for me. The future is… ever-shifting and ever-changing. Nothing is set in stone and every _trail_ is different. The one that will lead to my greatest future isn’t becoming a mafia boss, but the mafia is still important… I think it has something to do with Vongola Primo, or at least, that’s what Skull thinks.”

_Primo?_

Reborn knows the original history. Giotto had created Vongola to be a vigilante group and had grown in power, but after retreating to Japan with his loyal Guardians, Secondo took over and completely eradicated the original notion. Ever since, Vongola had been led down to a bloody, criminal path and strayed further from what Giotto had hoped it would be.

With this in mind, he admits that it wouldn’t be too far-fetched for Tsuna to become a vigilante. He’s not quite the justice type, but he cares for doing right in the world and keeping his hands clean. He doesn’t like the mafia and he hasn’t bothered to hide that.

(He’s kind of interested in what hell will be unleashed when Timoteo learns of his favored heir’s hatred for the criminal lifestyle. It’s bound to be hilarious)

Tsuna turning Vongola into a vigilante group again is frighteningly plausible.

It’s even more frightening for Reborn to consider that he doesn’t feel any inclination to try and stop him.

“I see,” he says shortly, pushing back his feelings on the matter to address later when he has the time. “You still haven’t explained your connection to Skull.”

Tsuna’s eyes turn a bit brighter with something mischievous in them. It’s annoying, but relieving. He smiles. “That would take the fun out of it.”

 

_iv._

Skull arrives around five in the evening. In the time before then, Hibari had returned to the house to report to Tsuna about Sasagawa Ryohei’s condition, and then he didn’t leave. Rokudo, Kakimoto, Joshima, and Lancia come back to the living room mere minutes before the doorbell rings. Rokudo eyes the direction of the doorway warily while Tsuna beams.

Nana is the one who opens the door and comes to the living room with Skull on her shoulders. Reborn feels like Skull should look different. His mysterious involvement has him mentally revising his image of him from the bits and pieces that Fuuta and Tsuna and Hibari let out, but for all appearances, Skull looks exactly the same as he always had: stupid make-up, stupid clothes, stupid grin, stupid purple hair.

“Tsuna-chan!” he cheers, hopping down to let Tsuna sweep him into a hug. “And hello to you, Kyoya.” Hibari bows his head in greeting. “And _you_ —“ Tsuna lets Skull go so he can approach Fuuta, who looks ready to explode, “you must be Fuuta! Tsuna-chan has told me a lot about you. Your wings are beautiful.”

“It’s great to meet you!” Fuuta says, almost shouting. He bows deeply. “U-um, your wings are _amazing_.”

“Thank you.” Skull turns to look at the rest of the people in the room. His eyes catch on Reborn. They stare at each other for two moments—and then Skull moves on. Something itches in Reborn’s chest.

“You are quite powerful, aren’t you?” Rokudo says with too much bravado to be real.

Skull frowns, eyes catching on the area over his shoulder. Where his supposed ‘wing’ is, perhaps? “And you’re missing a bit of your soul. That has to hurt. Are you okay?”

Rokudo sneers. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s Mukuro,” Tsuna says. “And the other three are Kakimoto Chikusa, Joshima Ken, and Lancia. I don’t think he has a last name.” Lancia shrugs. “The kids are Lambo and I-Pin.”

“You look funny,” Lambo declares, I-Pin nodding along beside him. Skull laughs.

“And last but not least, Takeshi and Hayato!” Tsuna gestures to Gokudera, whose eyes are wide, and Yamamoto, who grins.

“Nice to meet you, Skull-san!” Yamamoto says cheerfully.

“S-Skull-sama! It’s a pleasure to meet you!” Gokudera says, standing up to bow.

“Whoa, no need for that, Hayato-chan!” Skull says. “Stand up straight. There we go! It’s nice to meet you both too. Thank you for taking care of my adorable little nephew!” Well, that explains the connection. A little. There’s likely more to the story.

“Tenth is very important to me,” Gokudera says firmly. Yamamoto echoes his agreement and Tsuna flushes.

“Good, good. Reborn, have you been taking care of Tsuna-chan?” Skull finally addresses him, shoulders tensing ever-so-slightly as he turns to face him. He’s not as flighty as he had been, talking to the teenagers. He’s wary. It’s a little odd, and Reborn doesn’t like it.

“I’m his tutor,” he answers, shrugging. “I do my best.”

“Hm…” Skull squints at him, then looks to Tsuna. “Tsuna-chan?”

“He’s not bad,” Tsuna says. He taps his left pinky finger. Whatever that means seems to placate Skull.

“Well, as much as I would love to get to know all of your friends—“

“We’re not friends. I’m just here out of necessity,” Rokudo says.

“—I looked into what you asked,” Skull continues as though he hadn’t heard him. “I don’t have all the information, but about twelve years ago, a whole _seer_ family in Italy was killed, save for a pair of twins. It wasn’t a malicious or purposeful death, so the rest of us wrote it off, but apparently the twins had been taken to an orphanage before any of us could find out. The closest family thought there was something odd, but couldn’t find any traces of what.

“I cashed in a few quick favors to get a hold of some old Estraneo files. A year after the death of the family, Estraneo found an orphan boy who seemed to be able to see things no one else could and took him from the orphanage, leaving his twin sister alone. I didn’t have time to find out what happened to the girl, but now that I’m here, I’m certain that this family was Mukuro’s.” Skull produces a file and opens it to show Tsuna. Rokudo walks to peer over his shoulder and Reborn does the same. There are a few papers documenting about the incident, but he looks at the photos attached. A baby photo of fraternal twins, and their parents, who looked too much like Rokudo to be anything but related to him.

“So that missing part of him…” Tsuna murmurs.

“Yes.” Skull nods. He looks up at Rokudo. There’s conflict in Rokudo’s eyes. “I believe if we can find your sister, we should be able to start healing your Sight and your wing. But not completely.” He peers at where Reborn assumes Rokudo’s wing is. “That’s a lot of damage. I didn’t look into the files on their experiments, but that kind of trauma won’t be healed so easily. It’ll take time.”

“Whatever,” Rokudo says. “I don’t care. I just want to know what the hell is going on.”

Skull smiles. “Maybe, but you can’t fool another _seer_ , and you especially can’t fool one of the very first _seers_ to ever have been created.” Reborn chokes. It’s not too hard to guess what _that_ means, but… it’s absolutely _ludicrous_.

“I’m sorry?” Rokudo says after a pause.

“I should introduce myself,” Skull says, grinning in a way that Reborn knows will lead to something mind-breaking. “Currently, my name is Skull. I’m an Arcobaleno, cursed into an infant body, and I’m called the Immortal Skull because of my ‘healing capabilities.’ But my name wasn’t always Skull. Once, I was a warrior and one of the very first beings to walk the planet. I was also one of the first to gain the Sight, after I died the first time in battle. Now, I can’t die until I fulfill _my_ destiny. It’s been so long that I don’t even know how old I am. We didn’t exactly keep calendars back in the day.”

There’s a long silence as everyone takes a few moments to process what has just been said. Tsuna is muffling his snickers behind his hand and Hibari has an amused smirk on his face. Fuuta doesn’t look surprised. Lambo and I-Pin’s eyes are wide. Everyone else looks completely off-balance, and it would have been amusing had Reborn not been feeling the same way.

Skull had always had scary healing rates. He got up from injuries easily, which is why Reborn rarely felt the need to pull his punches. It was a little nice, in a way, since he had always assumed Skull to be a civilian. Because of his healing properties that they all had assumed were due to his Cloud Flames, he didn’t have to go soft on him.

To learn that his ability to heal is not because of his Flames?

Well.

Reborn may not be nice to Skull, but he doesn’t want him dead. He goes over every moment of Skull’s “near deaths”, and reevaluates everything.

 

_v._

It’s a while before Reborn can actually get Skull alone to talk. He ends up having to wait until nightfall. Tsuna and Nana explain their relation (“Uncle keeps an eye on every family, and sometimes he gets attached,” Nana had said, giggling. “I’m one of the children he got attached to.”) and then they all try to devise their next course of action. None of them except Tsuna, Nana, Fuuta, and Hibari seem to have any idea of what they’re supposed to be doing, but it’s decided that they will try to find Rokudo’s sister before making any more decisions.

Yamamoto and Gokudera whisk Tsuna away for quality best friend time, or whatever Yamamoto calls it that has Gokudera flushed and angry. Nana puts the kids to sleep while Rokudo vanishes with his gang again, and then it’s Reborn and Skull.

“So, you probably have questions,” Skull says, lips quirked. It’s not quite a smile. Reborn is struck by how different yet still _Skull_ he is.

“I do,” Reborn responds. “First, have you been holding back on us? All of us? And why?”

Skull shrugs. “None of you like me, so I don’t trust you to know the full extent of my abilities. I wanted to spend that lifetime as a civilian, but then that _asshole_ fucked up that plan. But, mostly, it’s just that you guys aren’t exactly people I want to know about me.”

That’s fair, though Reborn doesn’t like it. None of them exactly like each other, save for a few bonds here and there among the Arcobaleno, but there has always been a certain camaraderie born of their shared situation. If nothing else, they can usually trust each other when it counts, and it’s a bit irritating to know one of their own has been holding out on them.

“Fine,” he says, not wanting to press the issue. “Second, do you know who the Man in the Iron Hat is? If your Sight told you anything.”

“His name is Kawahira,” Skull says amicably. At the very least, it’s easy to tell they share the same dislike for the man. Admittedly, it’s a bit of relief. “He’s something… _old_. Even more ancient than the Vindice, and not human either. His role in the world is vital but… frustrating. Infinity is trying to push us to find a way to make his role obsolete, but it’s hard. His _presence_ is always scrambled. We can never locate him long enough to have a discussion. He’s not a _seer_ though, I promise you that. The curse is _disgusting_ and none of us would ever voluntarily force it upon others.”

“And who is Infinity?”

“Oh. That would be…” Skull hesitates. “The Creator. They go by that name. They, ah… Sometimes, when a _seer_ has a great destiny, they are able to hear the voice of the Creator at all times. I was the first one. I gave them the name ‘Infinity.’ Tsuna… can also hear them.” Reborn raises his eyebrows at that.

“Hm.” There’s nothing he can say to that.

“Anything else?”

Reborn hums again, falling into a contemplative silence. “Skull.”

“Yes, senpai?”

“I do… _care_ for Tsuna,” he says carefully. “I don’t have your history with him, but I do care for him. I also feel a sense of care for you. I would like it if you could learn to trust me.”

Skull crosses his arms, looking displeased. “Why? Because now you know I’m not entirely civilian? It doesn’t change what you and the others have done to me. You had _no right_.”

“We thought it would make you stronger.”

“None of you are exactly the epitome of mental health, and it’s just a good thing that I’m immortal and not actually eighteen or else you would have done irreversible damage. Why should I trust you?”

“If not to make it easier for you to deal with us,” Reborn says, “then to make it easier for Tsuna. I don’t want things to be hostile between us when he needs us more.”

Skull narrows his eyes suspiciously. “That… is the most agreeable thing you have ever said to me. Why do you care?”

“We are Arcobaleno, Skull. Even if just by circumstance, we need to be able to work with one another. We’re the only ones who can understand each other.” Reborn pauses, then adds, “Well. Except maybe for you, but the point remains. If we’re not a united front, who knows what Checkerface might do to us.”

A complicated expression crosses his face. He looks troubled. “Actually… I do know something that may be useful to us. To breaking the curse.”

“ _What_.”

Skull smiles nervously. “You know the Vindice?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reborn and Skull aren't okay, but they'll get there. Maybe.
> 
> I'm being rushed to leave, so I'm not sure how great this chapter is. You can definitely tell this is unedited and written at 3am while sleep-deprived. If you have any questions cuz I don't have time to make anything clear in this end note, do comment! I'll try to respond!
> 
> Thank you for reading and for being so patient!


	18. meliorism

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Information and negotiations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *unholy pterodactyl screeches*  
> Where have I been you may ask??? Lost in the void, probably. Honest to god, I have no idea what I've been doing for the past month but I have been One Whole Mess. And also writing a bunch of stuff that has absolutely nothing to do with this fic. Still KHR though (except for my nano project, and happy nanowrimo btw!) so we'll see if I manage to finish them. Also, why did I suddenly get a bunch of comments on this fic this past week? Not that I'm complaining, but like, weird.
> 
> Fun fact: I was actually going to post a short birthday chapter for Tsuna set in this universe, but then I realized that I kind of just wanted to keep plot-related stuff in this fic. So like, there's a small chance I may make this the main story in a series full of one-shots set in this universe. Cuz I still wanna post that birthday fic.
> 
> Anyway, please enjoy yet another painstaking chapter written while sleep-deprived and unsure of what exactly has happened in the past few chapters!

_i._

“Skull, what did you do to Reborn?” Tsuna asks as he and Hayato meet Skull at the dining table for breakfast. Reborn isn’t visibly off-kilter, but his _air_ is—more than it had been as the day was ending the night before. That could only mean that Skull had done something. Mukuro looks a bit amused by it. His gang doesn’t care. Hayato, naturally, is just confused.

Skull grins widely and ignores the glare Reborn sends him. “Why, I don’t know what you’re talking about, Tsuna-chan!” he sing-songs.

“Right… What did you do?”

Skull sighs, pouting. “You’re no fun, nephew. If you must know, I explained a few things about the curse and the Vindice.”

“The Vindice say hi by the way,” Tsuna says. “Speaking of which, you never told me what you know. All I know is that they’re… _creepy_.”

“That’s an understatement,” Mukuro snorts.

“The living dead right?” Skull says. “Yeah, it’s complicated. You know our curse?” Tsuna nods. “The Vindice are previous holders of the curse who managed to survive the end of it. Now they’re stuck as they are, but they should have died so they’re… the living dead. A couple of us have had to become Arcobaleno. I visit some of our _seers_ every so often, just to see how they’re doing. It’s _awful_ for them.”

“Oh. That… makes sense.” Tsuna shudders. He could barely stand being in their presence for a minute. He doesn’t want to know how it must feel to actually be someone so _wrong_. “Never mind that, I guess. Have you found anything more about Mukuro’s other half?”

“Stop calling me by my first name,” Mukuro says. “And stop calling her my ‘other half.’”

“Oh, right, that.” Skull nods and produces a file out of nowhere for them to peer at. “It was surprisingly easy, but that’s the only good news. The girl was adopted; she goes by Fukao Nagi now. She got into an accident not too long ago and is currently on life support in a Tokyo hospital. She lost quite a few organs and her parents refuse to pay for her treatment, so she may not survive.”

“What?” Tsuna says, looking back up at him with wide eyes. “That’s horrible! Why not?”

Skull shrugs. There’s a sad look in his eyes. “Some parents are like that.”

“Assholes,” Hayato growls.

Mukuro doesn’t say anything for a long moment. He’s too busy staring at the picture of his sister. She does look remarkably like him, right down to her hairstyle.

“Skull-oji-sama,” Tsuna says slowly as a thought comes to him. “You have a lot of money packed away, right?”

“Yes?” Skull says, dragging the word out as he raises an eyebrow.

“Is it… enough to pay for the surgery?” He looks at Skull seriously. “I mean, I don’t want to ask you to do anything you don’t want to! I-I know it’s a bit… much to ask for, but… I’d like to help her. She’s one of us, and she’s Mukuro’s sister. If it… if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…” His voice lowers into a near whisper as he realizes what he has just asked.

“I can save her without the money,” Mukuro says abruptly. He tears his eyes away from the picture of Fukao Nagi to glance around the table. “Not forever, but still for a long time.”

“What?” Tsuna says.

“Mist Flames,” Reborn says, clearly jumping at the chance to teach Tsuna _something_. They haven’t had a real lesson in a while—he must be getting irritated. “They’re well-known for their illusions. If he’s strong enough, he can create illusionary organs that can function as real ones for as long as he can hold them.”

“I am strong enough,” Mukuro says confidently. Tsuna is inclined to agree.

“Wait, wait, wait! Mukuro!” Ken interjects. He and the other two of the Kokuyo Gang had been happy to keep to their own private, quiet conversation until that moment. “Why would you want to save some random girl we don’t know?”

Mukuro clicks his tongue and rolls his eyes to the ceiling. It’s a few moments before he answers, “I don’t care much for family, but I would like to at least know.” Tsuna tilts his head, listening to the turmoil in his heart. He’s not nearly as nonchalant about it as he’s pretending to be. From the scowl he sends his way, he knows that he’s listening. Tsuna simply smiles and says nothing.

Surprisingly, Skull laughs and shakes his head. “No, you don’t have to exhaust your energy for that, Mukuro-kun,” he tells him gently. “Tsuna-chan is right—I have a lot of money saved up. I can definitely pay for her surgery.” Mukuro narrows his eyes, disbelieving that he’s willing to do so out of the goodness of his heart, even though everything about him sings _sincere_.

“Is that really okay, Skull?” Tsuna asks cautiously. He had been the one to ask, but he’s still uncertain.

“I have more money than I know what to do with. I’d be happy to spend a couple yen for one of your Bonded.” Skull smiles.  Tsuna lets out a relieved breath and smiles back.

 

_ii._

Ryohei was released from the hospital that morning, so Tsuna heads to his house after breakfast. Hayato isn’t too keen on letting him go alone and follows him. He doesn’t mind. As they walk, he asks questions about what Tsuna Sees that Tsuna is all too happy to answer. He likes talking about his _vision_ , even if he isn’t good at explaining it. There aren’t many people he’s been able to talk to about it, before.

(Kyoya will listen, but he hardly ever asks questions)

Kyoko answers the door soon after they knock. “Tsuna-kun! And Gokudera-kun too!” she exclaims. “Oh, have you come to see Onii-chan?”

“Yeah, Kyoya-senpai told me he got released today,” Tsuna answers, smiling. “I wanted to check on him myself.”

“Come on in, then! He’ll be so happy to see you!” Kyoko opens the door fully and steps to the side to let them in. Tsuna and Hayato toe off their shoes in the doorway, and then she leads them to where Ryohei is resting in his room.

Ryohei beams as he sees them standing in his doorway. “Sawada! Gokudera! Have you come to extremely break me out of this house?” He’s lying on his bed, still bandaged and with his arm and leg in casts. He probably should have stayed in the hospital longer, but Reborn had explained earlier that he has unusually strong Sun Flames with an affinity for healing. With his recovery rate, the doctors could probably do nothing but release him.

“Not quite, no, but my uncle did mention asking if you’d like to come with us to Italy soon,” Tsuna answers and smiles. “But anyway, we just came to see how you were doing.”

“I don’t know you, so I’m just here to keep Tenth safe,” Hayato quickly adds. Tsuna shakes his head and doesn’t contradict him.

“I’m extremely okay! No worries, you two!” Ryohei grins and flashes them a thumbs up with his one hand not in a cast.

“I wasn’t worried,” Hayato says.

“I’m glad,” Tsuna says. He sits on the edge of his bed and taps his finger on his thigh. “Actually, Onii-san, I have something to tell you, but I’m not.” He bites his lip. “I’m not sure how to explain it. It’s a little out of nowhere, but we’re friends and I told everyone else, so…”

“You can tell me anything,” Ryohei says sincerely. His _shine_ isn’t an energetic, blinding light, nor is it quite subdued. It’s a gentle, pulsating _brightness_ and it makes Tsuna feel warm. A big brother, indeed.

“Ah, okay, so. Um, let’s see… My mother’s family is kind of special. Once upon a time…”

 

_iii._

Ryohei’s mouth is agape in an ‘o’ shape and his eyes are wide, practically sparkling. Hayato shifts impatiently, but Tsuna waits.

“EXTREME!” Ryohei eventually shouts, pumping a fist in the air. He grins and clutches Tsuna’s hands in his. “Sawada, you’re even more extreme than I thought you were!”

Tsuna laughs. “Thank you, Onii-san, but I’m really not that great. I just have a little extra, um, talents.”

“Which is exactly what makes you extreme!” Ryohei insists. His excited energy is soothing. Relieving. It eases a knot in Tsuna’s chest that he hadn’t even realized was there. He’s generally a very bright person, so bright that it almost hurts Tsuna’s eyes, but it’s nice. Whereas Reborn’s Sun harvests the boiling, dangerous aspects of _sun_ , Ryohei’s is more like its calming, comforting presence. He’s nice to be around, and it’s even better when he’s happy.

“Well, if you say so,” Tsuna says amicably. “There’s more to this whole… thing though. Uh, the reason I told you is because, um… Well, we’re Bonded. That basically means that we’ll be important to one another and I don’t want to keep secrets from you.  I know we’re not close now, but I hope we can be, at least. And, um, there’s something kind of… dangerous going on that you may get involved in by being friends with me and it would be better if I told you before you get hurt any more than you already have.”

Ryohei’s face turns serious at that. It’s not an expression he usually wears. “Is this something that could affect Kyoko?”

“Eh? Uh…” Tsuna tilts his head. “Well, there’s a chance she might get involved—her and Kurokawa-san are kind of important? They’re Marked in a way, but right now, no. We’re not exactly friends, but I’ll try my best to protect them.”

“Tell me,” he demands. “If it’ll hurt my little sister, I need to know. And,” he adds, a bit more gently, “if we’re going to be important to one another, I would like to know anyway. You’re very extreme, Sawada; I don’t mind getting to know you.”

Tsuna nods slowly. “Okay. More stories, I guess. It’s a little hard to believe, but I guess if you believe in the Sight without any proof…” He clears his throat and begins talking again.

It’s a long hour.

 

_iv._

Tsuna opens the door to the house and says, “I’m home!”

“Welcome back, Tsuna-chan!” Skull greets, smiling widely as he walks into the front room. “Nanako-chan is out doing some errands with the kids right now and Mukuro-kun locked himself in his room with his friends again, but Reborn is in the living room. He has something to tell you.”

“When does he not?” Tsuna sighs.

“True, true. Hey, how did it go with your Sasagawa-kun?”

“It went fine. Onii-san is very accepting.” Even though he was worried about Kyoko. Ryohei had been upset that the mafia might put his little sister in danger, but it wasn’t anger at Tsuna. If anything, he was angered for Tsuna and the fact that the mafia was in his life in the first place to make things dangerous, which was… different. Hayato didn’t understand it, but it was too be expected since he was too used to mafia standards rather than civilian. Tsuna, though, is oddly flattered.

“That’s good. You have some good Bonded, Tsuna-chan.” Skull hops onto Tsuna’s shoulder. “Now, onwards to Reborn!”

Reborn is sitting on the couch, nursing his usual cup of espresso in his hands. “Ah, Dame-Tsuna,” he says and ignores Skull’s bristling at the nickname. Tsuna pats Skull’s head to calm him. “I received some news from Nono that I think you might need to know. Normally, I would let you be surprised—“

“Yeah, ‘cause you enjoy chaos,” Skull says, and then shuts up at the look he receives.

“I would _let you be surprised_ , but I can’t hide things from you, apparently, so I’ll tell you.” Reborn rubs his eyes and sighs. “Eight years ago, there was an event that would later be titled the Cradle Affair. Nono’s fourth son found out he was adopted and staged a coup. Having defeated him but still unwilling to kill him, Nono used what we call Zero Point Breakthrough, which froze him in a block of ice, similar to being cryogenically frozen. Recently, he’s escaped, and now, he has learned of your existence. He’s coming to Namimori.”

Tsuna stares. “There’s more to that, isn’t there?”

“He’s going to want to challenge you for the position of Decimo.”

Before Tsuna can ask what’s so wrong about that, and before Hayato can jump up and declare his loyalty to Tsuna, Skull says, “The boss of Vongola can only be someone of Vongola blood, of which Xanxus is not. It’s more than tradition—the Vongola rings will reject anyone they don’t approve of, and it will get _painful_.”

“Vongola rings?” Tsuna says.

“How do you know about those?” Reborn asks sharply.

Skull rolls his eyes. “Um, duh! I know everything.” Reborn looks affronted at his own line being stolen. “Also, I, ah… I keep an eye on Vongola. For reasons. I know things.” Tsuna shakes his head at Reborn before he can push. It’s obvious to the normal eye that Skull is upset, but to Tsuna, Skull is _wrecked_. The first Vongola generation was his family, the second one he ever allowed himself to have, and they left him too. It’s almost overwhelming how agonized he feels whenever he talks about Vongola in a slightly more familiar manner than normal—and Tsuna doesn’t want Reborn to face what happens when he lashes out.

Luckily, Reborn must sense as much, because he decides not to ask. “Well, Lackey’s correct,” he says instead. “Vongola won’t accept any heir that isn’t of Vongola blood. Between the two of you, neither of you are exactly favored, but you’re slightly more accepted because you come from Primo’s direct line. And,” he adds, sounding reluctant, “the Family will like the chance to mold a civilian heir to their whims.” He looks at Tsuna with a sharp gaze and his voice turns hard. “Don’t you dare let them change you, _Dame-Tsuna_.”

Tsuna smiles and Skull, still sitting on his shoulder, laughs. “Thank you, Reborn,” Tsuna says sincerely. “I’ll keep that in mind.” And then, “But I’m still not becoming a mafia boss.”

Reborn sighs. “We’ll see,” he says noncommittally. Skull keeps laughing. “Lackey, would you _not_?”

“Sorry, Senpai!” Skull chirps and grins wickedly at Reborn’s glare.

“Anyway,” Reborn continues, “Xanxus is years ahead of you in skill, and the fight for the position of Decimo will not just be about you, but also your Guardians. Each of them will have to fight Xanxus’s Guardians, so you have to start training immediately.”

“I will stake my life on it!” Hayato declares.

“Don’t do that, Hayato-kun,” Skull says. “Tsuna-chan will be sad.”

Tsuna frowns. He doesn’t want to have to make his friends fight. He doesn’t want to fight anyone for Vongola at all. But nothing is cut and dry. There’s something… He tilts his head, trying to understand the feeling overcoming him. Something whispers that Xanxus is _complicated_ , will be complicated.

“Dame-Tsuna?” Reborn says.

He blinks. He must have been quiet for too long. “Sorry. I was listening to something. Um, I’ll try to be ready…”

“What were you listening to?” Reborn asks, eyes narrowed.

“I think something wants to tell me something about Xanxus-san, but it’s hard to figure out. I’ll deal with it later.”

Reborn hums.

“Well, now that that’s out of the way!” Skull says, abruptly shifting the conversation. He hops off of Tsuna’s shoulder to face him. “Tsuna-chan, I can pay for Fukao Nagi’s surgery, but we should first talk to her parents. I found their address. And then Mukuro-kun can meet his sister.”

In a burst of Mist Flames that has Hayato swearing, Mukuro appears by the couch. “So are we going?”

 

_v._

The Fukao home sends shivers up Tsuna’s spine. It’s an inconspicuous house—the very picture of Japanese, in fact. But everything about it is so clean that it’s almost unnatural. The feeling it gives off is _dishonest, false, plastic_. Everything about it looks plastic, in fact. When he looks at Mukuro, he sees the same discomfort on his face. Skull just looks disapproving.

“What do you see, Dame-Tsuna?” Reborn asks from where he’s sitting on top of Tsuna’s head.

“It’s… this whole house is unsettling,” he explains, shuddering as he takes another glance at the house. “To me it looks plastic. Like… the walls are fake. The door is fake. Everything is…”

“Fake,” Mukuro sneers. “It’s disgusting.” His gang is back at Tsuna’s house, having forced them to stay. They’re planning on posing as social workers, but the chaos of his people wouldn’t help their appearance. Hayato's temper wouldn't help either, so he stayed back too.

Reborn hums at the revelation, but doesn’t comment. Skull takes that as his cue to ring the doorbell.

Fukao Nori is the one to open the door. Tsuna has to look away from her. Like her house, she looks plastic. Her makeup looks caked on, too much like an act than a natural appearance. The air around her _rings_ dishonesty. Like lies from a person’s lips, dishonesty feels grating and uncomfortable on his skin.

“Yes?” she says, an unpleasantly polite smile on her face.

“Fukao Nori-san?” Reborn says. “My name is Boreen, and this is my colleague, Ruka; his nephew, Natsu; and our client, Romu. You adopted a little girl about ten years ago. Is that correct?”

Fukao-san doesn’t seem off-put by Reborn’s appearance, or his position in Tsuna’s hair. An invisible power pulses from Reborn and Skull’s pacifiers. _Oh,_ Tsuna realizes. That’s why no one responds much to their bodies.

“Yes, I adopted a girl,” Fukao-san says carefully. “Why?”

“We were recently hired to find Romu-kun’s family, and we tracked down his old orphanage. We found that his sister is most likely your daughter. May we come in to discuss this with you?”

Fukao-san narrows her eyes at them, but then she looks closely at Mukuro and gapes. “A-ah, yes, alright. Please come in.”

Tsuna is hesitant to come inside. There are a lot of _negatives_ in the house, _falsities_ and _frustration_. But he forces himself to step inside and he pulls Mukuro in with him when he hesitates.

“It feels like some of the scientists from Estraneo,” Mukuro mutters. Then he stiffens as he realizes what he’s said. He glares at Tsuna, as though daring him to respond. Tsuna holds up his hands in surrender and just nods.

Fukao-san has them sit in the living room and brings them drinks before sitting across from them on her loveseat. The house is too clean. “I do admit, Romu-san does look an awful lot like my daughter, Nagi-chan,” she says.

“Yes, that’s why we think they must be siblings,” Reborn says. “Your husband works an office job, right?”

“Oh yes, that’s where he is right now. He makes quite a bit of money. It’s just perfect,” Fukao-san sighs happily. Her words whisper _gold-digger_.

Reborn hums. “Your daughter was in an accident recently. She needs an organ replacement, but you haven’t paid for the surgery. Why? You have more than enough money.”

Fukao-san scowls. Tsuna fights not to shudder at the _disgust_ rolling from her body. “Why does it matter? That girl, so ungrateful. We gave her everything, we brought her back from that orphanage, but all she does is ask for more. The money is simply too much.” Tsuna nearly reels back at that and he tries not to gape. Skull sends Mukuro a warning look when he opens his mouth to say something. He shuts his mouth and settles for grinding his teeth and clenching his fists in his lap.

Reborn’s expression doesn’t change, but Tsuna can feel his disapproval. “I see. Well, we wish to have the siblings reunite when the girl is healthy, so we have a proposition for you.”

“We’ll pay for your daughter’s surgery,” Skull chimes in. A smile spread across his face. It looks nicer than its intentions are. “But if we do, we’ll be taking her with us.”

“ _What_?” Fukao-san says, startled and almost snarling. “You can’t do that.”

“I think you’ll find that we can,” Skull hums idly. “You see, Fukao-san, it doesn’t reflect well that you’re unwilling to pay for the surgery of your only daughter when you can clearly afford it. That spells something like neglect. I’m sure a full investigation will prove us right. And Romu-kun is very eager to meet his sister. We want to give both of them the best homes possible, and I think they would do best together.”

“So,” Reborn says, “we’ll pay for her surgery so you don’t have to. And then we’ll put her with a good family that will happily provide for her. What do you say, Fukao Nori-san?”

Fukao-san glares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ryohei!! He only had a small appearance, but there he is! And Chrome is about to appear, too!
> 
> One thing I'd like to address because someone brought this up in a recent comment: some of you are wondering why Tsuna is trusting Reborn with the Sight when he hasn't proven himself. The thing is, Tsuna was somewhat biased in his opinion of Reborn given that Skull is biased, and also Reborn isn't exactly the kind of guy a fourteen year old would like immediately. BUT, you forget that the Sight gives Tsuna feelings about a lot of things in a way that sort of enhances his Hyper Intuition. Because of this, he knows that Reborn can, at least, be trusted with his secret. Also, they're Bonded, even if it's not yet a realized Bond. At this point in time, Tsuna does like Reborn a little bit. In the words of my favorite Neku Sakuraba, "I don't forgive you, but I trust you." That's basically Tsuna @ Reborn
> 
> Alright, now that that's done with: thanks for reading everyone! I hope I did this chapter justice!!


	19. constellate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wing meets its pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so needless to say I've given up on getting chapters in on time. Can I just say: holy shit this is over 50k words now wtf
> 
> This chapter gave me issues because it's like, a plot-relevant-transition-filler chapter?? And I didn't know how to go about it??? But a chapter is better than no chapter so here we go! Though I feel like it's important to mention I wrote the last half of this chapter while blasting music so I may have ended up slightly incoherent  
> EDIT: Yeah so I forgot some things I wrote in the previous chapter and I've edited this chapter to fix my inconsistent writing fdjghfkdgjs
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

_i._

The most irritating thing about Sawada Tsunayoshi having the Sight is that he knows everything. As he stares up at the hospital that his sister is supposed to be in, Mukuro would never admit to being nervous, but he doesn’t have to. Sawada looks at him and just _knows_ —and he smiles and, as infuriatingly as ever, he doesn’t comment on it. Mukuro isn’t used to being the one being off-kilter, and he _hates_ it.

“Stop doing that,” he hisses.

“I’m not doing anything,” Sawada responds.

Reborn gives them both weird looks, but elects to ignore the unspoken conversation. “Get moving,” he orders instead. “Do you or do you not want to see your sister?”

“I don’t even know this girl,” Mukuro says, but he begins to head inside anyway. He keeps his head up. Whatever emotion it is that’s churning in his gut is pushed down. Sawada and the two babies follow hastily after him.

“Hi,” he says to the receptionist. “I’m here to see Fukao Nagi? I heard she just got out of surgery.”

“Are you family?” she asks.

“I’m her brother.”

The receptionist types a few things into her computer. “Oh, wow, you really are siblings. You look a lot alike. Alright, then. Um… Are you three with him?” She tilts her head, addressing Sawada, Reborn, and Skull.

“We are, but we’re not family,” Skull says. “We’ll wait out here for you, Mukuro-kun.” Mukuro glares at him for the casual use of his first name. He gets a cheeky grin in response, as always.

The receptionist nods and tells Mukuro where the girl’s room is. He doesn’t look back to see the other three heading to the waiting area.

If his stride is a bit faster than normal, there’s no one around to tell.

 

_ii._

**Fukao Nagi** reads the small plaque beside the door. Just remembering the Fukao name makes his skin itch. He hasn’t forgotten how _plastic, dishonest, untrustworthy_ the house was. If this girl really is his sister, if she has the Sight like he does, he can’t understand how she possibly lived her life there. He wanted to throw up by the time they left. Sawada didn’t look much better.

Mukuro opens the door slowly and freezes in his tracks when he sees the doctor. The girl—his sister, _Nagi_ —glances at him briefly and her eyes widen, but the doctor ignores him. He stares.

There’s an overwhelming rush of _emotions_. When he sees a white coat, he remembers _pain_ and _anguish_ and _torture_ and _screaming_ , but all he feels from this man, this doctor, is _soothing_ and _healing_ and _gentle_ and it doesn’t register, doesn’t make sense. And then there’s Nagi, who feels like something _familiar_ and who has one wing on her left side that matches his, right down to the burns and the tears. He can feel his Flames, too, like they’re trying to reach, trying to circle around her own. He clutches the doorway, refusing to let his knees buckle like they want to.

The doctor finally stops talking and looks his way. “Hello,” he says. “Are you here to see Nagi?”

“Yes,” he says. “I’m her brother.” _Brother_. It still feels foreign on his tongue. He never even considered the idea that he might have family. Family was always Estraneo and Estraneo was nothing but _cruelty_.

The doctor smiles. “I can see the resemblance. I’ll leave you two alone. See you later, Nagi-chan.” He nods to Nagi, who gives a small one in return, but she’s too busy staring at him with wide eyes. The doctor walks past Mukuro, and they’re left alone.

Mukuro moves to stand beside her bed, looking down at her. His mouth opens and closes a few times, but he can’t get any words out. She looks up at him too, as incapable of words as he is.

Shockingly, though, it’s her who speaks first. “Who… who are you?” she asks. Her voice is so soft that he can just barely hear her. “I don’t know you, but… you have…” Then, as if realizing what she’s saying, she shuts her mouth before she can finish her sentence. Her eyes flick to the space over his shoulder. His wing.

“A wing,” he finishes for her. “More specifically, I have the matching wing to yours.” Her wing is shimmering in some places, like the injuries are trying to heal. “I wasn’t lying to the doctor—I am your brother. My name is Rokudo Mukuro. Recently, an…” His mouth twists. What is Sawada in relation to him? They’re not friends, certainly, but they’re not enemies. Sawada is an asset to him, but he can’t exactly say that. “An acquaintance,” he decides. “An acquaintance of mine became curious of my origins and did some research. He found out that I had a sister—you.”

Her mouth drops open. “I… I have a brother? I have family?” The words become impossibly quieter the longer she speaks.

“It looks like it,” he says. “You can _see_ , can’t you? Weird things, odd feelings. So do I. Apparently, it’s a… _family_ thing. My acquaintance made a deal with your—with the Fukaos. He paid for your surgery so you could live with us.” He balks as he realizes what he said. ‘Us,’ as though he’s planning on staying with Sawada and his mother and whoever else for a long time. “Live with me, I mean.”

She sits there, staring at him in shock. Her _being_ sings _confusion, wariness, uncertainty, **hope**_. “Can I do that?” she asks. “Can I stay with you?” Her wing is shimmering a bit more. Some of the burns are disappearing. He’s tempted to look at his own wing to see if it’s changing too.

“Yes.”

 

 _iii_.

Nagi is released from the hospital a few days later. Against his demands, Sawada and Reborn are there again, but at least Skull isn’t. Sawada Nana, however, is, and Mukuro tries his damnedest to ignore all of them.

The doctor approaches them and Nana bounds up to him, showing off the paperwork that makes her Nagi’s legal guardian or whatever it is that makes her qualified to take her home. The doctor frowns, but nods and Mukuro turns his gaze to Nagi, standing a little ways away. Her head is turned to the ground. It’s Sawada who walks up to her before Mukuro can figure out what to do.

“Hi, Nagi-chan,” he says warmly. “I’m Sawada Tsuna. You can just call me Tsuna. You’ll be living with me and my Family for now, and your brother of course. I have the Sight too.” Between them is an indigo string. Mukuro doesn’t have to look to see that an identical string is connecting them to him too. He doesn’t want to see it, so he doesn’t.

Nagi looks at the string connecting them and then looks up, eyes wide. “You do?” she asks meekly.

“Yeah.” Sawada smiles. “Me, my mom, and my uncle. We’re helping your brother already. We would love to have you in our family.” Nagi nods jerkily, apparently unable to say anything, but the excitement is clear in her eyes and in her _air_.

Mukuro doesn’t know what to think about that.

He knows how to keep his emotions locked down. The only reason Sawada knows anything about him is because of the Sight, but no one else in the world can know how he’s feeling unless he lets them. He knows that emotions get you killed, which is exactly why Ken and Chikusa are nothing but tools—

(Not family. They can’t be family. They’re just loyal subjects, only slightly better than Lancia simply because they actually like him but other than that, they’re nothing to him.

Nothing)

—so Nagi is weird, to him. They look similar but she’s too different from him. Her heart is so plainly on her sleeve. She’s a civilian with Active Flames that he can barely feel because of their disuse. She holds herself like a weakling, a coward. _This_ girl is his _sister_ , and they look so alike but they’re so clearly _different_ that this can’t be real. That she can’t really be related to him.

“Are you not going to say hello to your sister?” Mukuro carefully doesn’t jump at Reborn’s appearance at his side. He glares at him, but all Reborn does is smirk and tip his fedora.

“I don’t see why it matters,” he responds and clicks his tongue. “We’ll be living together anyway.”

“Not everyone gets to meet their family with a clean slate. You should be happy.”

“Nobody asked you.”

Mukuro can honestly say he _hates_ the baby hitman. He’s used to being the one in control, the one to know everything and never be caught off-guard. But every time he’s around Reborn, he can’t help feeling like he’s always one step behind. Reborn has this _look_ , like he knows everything that Mukuro doesn’t, and it makes Mukuro want to _kill_ him. He would do it, too, if only it weren’t for the _importance_ ringing around him that makes him hesitate, just a bit.

He blames the Sight.

The doctor finishes speaking with Nana and watches carefully as she walks up to Nagi with a gentle smile. “Hello, Nagi-chan,” she says. “My name is Nana, but you can call me Mama! I’ll be taking care of you from now on. Is that okay?”

Nagi nods slowly, face turning pink. “Um, y-yes. Thank you, um… Mama. I’m very grateful for your hospitality.”

“It’s no problem at all! We’re glad to have you! And your brother, of course. Speaking of…” Mukuro bites back a groan as Nana zeroes in on him. “Mukkun, have you greeted your little sister yet?”

“ _Mukkun_?” he mumbles as he drags his feet closer to Nagi.

Nagi looks up at him and seems to curl into herself even more. “H-hello, Onii-sama. It’s nice to meet you. Again.” Mukuro makes a face at the title— _onii-sama_. Nana gives him a warning look when she sees him open his mouth, and he shuts it quickly. Then he feels a stab of frustration at his own irritation. Sawada Nana is a _cilivian_ and yet he’s going along with her demands? Who has he become?

He sighs. “Hello again, Nagi.” It’s only as the name leaves his lips that it occurs to him how _off_ it sounds to him. It feels like he should have said a different name. _Nagi_ feels as plastic as the Fukao household had been. It’s wrong. There’s another name that should be leaving his tongue, but he just can’t figure out what.

Nana and Sawada make similar twisted faces.

“That name doesn’t suit you,” Sawada says. “Nagi-chan—“ he frowns “does your name make you feel weird?”

“Huh? Um, may-maybe a little…” she says. “You can, um, keep calling me Nagi, though. That’s fine.”

“If your name makes you uncomfortable, we won’t say it,” Sawada says. “Let’s see… Is there anything you would prefer to be called?”

Nagi shrugs, fidgeting uncomfortably. They stand in silence for a minute, and then she speaks up. “U-um… if it’s alright… I think _Kuromu_ would fit me better…”

“An anagram of Mukuro?” Reborn says, amusement filtering into his voice. Mukuro raises an eyebrow as Nagi’s face slowly turns red. She nods and hides her face in her hands.

“I like it,” Sawada says, smiling at her even though she can’t see. She peeks through her fingertips at him. “You’re Chrome then.”

Slowly, Chrome lowers her hands. Her face is still red, but there’s a tiny smile on her lips. “Thank you, Tsuna-sama.” Sawada chokes. Reborn snickers.

 

 _iv_.

“Your sister is this _weakling_?” Ken scoffs, eyeing the newly-named Chrome with contempt. Chrome flinches back, hiding herself behind Mukuro’s shoulder.

“It appears so,” Mukuro responds flippantly.

“Play nice now.” Nana giggles, unbothered by the tension in the room. “I’ll go start on dinner. Why don’t you explain our situation to Chrome-chan now?” She heads into the kitchen, taking the kids with her, before anyone can respond. They’re all left in the living room in awkward silence.

“Chrome-chan, I wish we didn’t have to do this, but you deserve to know what family you’re involved with,” Skull finally says.

Chrome blinks down at him. “Um. Does this have anything to do with why a baby is Tsuna-sama’s uncle and another baby is his tutor?” There’s something powerful on Reborn’s pacifier that has most people ignoring his appearance, though they may take note of it. Mukuro isn’t sure if it’s their Sight or their Mist Flames that allow them to see through it, but no one else would have commented on its oddness.

Skull grins and nods. “Right. I guess I should just say it: everyone in this room is related to the mafia in one way or another.” He pauses. Chrome’s mouth drops open, but she doesn’t say anything. He continues, “Your brother and his friends are criminals by mafia standards. Tsuna-chan is the heir to a notorious Family in Italy and Hayato-kun is to be his Right Hand. Bianchi is a hitwoman and Reborn is the World’s Greatest Hitman. And I…” He trails off, _pain, hurt, anguish_ emanating from his body. “Well, I was once Vongola, the Family that Tsuna-chan’s supposed to inherit. But now I’m just another hitman.”

“You were _Vongola_?” Reborn says.

“Once. Not important.” Skull waves a hand. “Chrome-chan, we need you to understand that this life is dangerous. We’ll keep you out as much as we can if you want, as we do for Nanako, but it wouldn’t have been fair to you if we kept you in the dark.”

Chrome fiddles with her fingers, thinking silently for a longer stretch than Mukuro would like. He already planned on making her one of his own in the same way Ken and Chikusa are. Regardless of what she answers, he has no intention of derailing those plans simply because Skull and Sawada want to keep her away.

“I’d like to be involved,” she says meekly. “You all are… nice. Or, that’s what the-the feelings are telling me. I’d like to be able to help you as much as I can. To repay you.”

“You don’t have to repay us,” Sawada says hurriedly, eyebrows furrowed with concern. Mukuro narrows his eyes at him.

“I want to,” Chrome says. Her voice gains a little bit of steel, a little bit of resolve, and Mukuro looks at her again. He looks and he sees something stubborn in her. He sees something he can grow and cultivate and he nods silently to himself. She’s a civilian, but there’s a potential in that kind of _will_.

“Okay,” Skull agrees.

“Welcome to the Family,” Reborn says. “Now that we’ve established your position as a Guardian—“

“I never said anything about her being a Guardian!” Sawada exclaims. Chrome tilts her head, puzzled.

“—we have other business to finish. Namely, what to tell Nono about Mukuro, and about your… decision.”

“You mean the fact that Tsuna-chan can’t become a criminal because of divine right,” Skull says, grinning cheekily. He dodges as Reborn shoots at him, leaving a hole in the coffee table.

“I can’t actually _say_ that,” Reborn huffs. “I still don’t believe in all that, but I’m willing to accept it as truth for now until I can get concrete proof.” Mukuro isn’t sure that will happen any time soon, or at all. The Sight, as he’s come to find, isn’t concrete at all. It’s the exact opposite of _concrete_. “I know I said that Xanxus is coming to Namimori, but we need to go to Italy as soon as possible. We need to figure out how to address your absolute refusal. Perhaps, if we leave immediately, we'll be able to avoid the Ring Battles for some time. But if we leave for Italy, I don't want to tell Nono about the Sight. He may try to use it to his advantage.”

Sawada blinks at him, looking both shocked and touched. “Reborn…”

“I’m not sure you’ll have time to go to Italy,” Nana says, appearing in the doorway. The kids run out from behind her and chase each other around the living room. “Tsu-kun, your Papa just called and said he’d be returning tomorrow. I have the feeling some interesting figures will be following close behind.”

“He’s _what_.”

Sawada grits his teeth. Mukuro and Chrome lean back. For the first time ever, Mukuro feels _anger_ coming from Sawada. An _anger_ that feels like real heat on Mukuro’s skin. He was starting to think nothing could faze Sawada. _Interesting_.

 

_v._

As the sun rises in the morning, Mukuro’s eyes snap open.

Ken and Chikusa are curled beside each other on their shared futon, fast asleep, but Chrome, on the bed that Mukuro relinquished to her, sits up slowly. They look at each other, silent and confused. And then they look out the window.

_Someone new has come._

Chrome slides out of bed. The rustling is enough to wake up Chikusa and Ken, both of them light sleepers.

“What’s going on?” Ken asks blearily, rubbing his eyes.

“Go back to sleep,” Mukuro orders. “Chrome and I will be back shortly.”

“Mukuro?” Chikusa says quietly, curiously.

“It’s nothing. Go to sleep.” With his refusal to answer, they settle back down. Chrome looks at him. He motions for her to follow, and they exit their room, heading downstairs where he can look outside.

Skull, Nana, and Sawada are in the kitchen, sitting at the dining table in silence. Skull nurses a mug of something still steaming in his small hands. Chrome slides into the seat across Sawada. Mukuro stays standing.

“What’s going on?” he demands.

Nana looks up at him. She smiles tiredly. “My husband’s flight just landed. And with him, I believe, are strangers.”

“Troublemakers from Vongola,” Skull corrects. There’s something dangerous in his voice. “They don’t mean well.”

Mukuro can feel the town crackling, uncertain and disapproving. Outside, he can hear the wind hissing something. Nothing is quite _angry_ , but they’re weary. Namimori wrapped itself around Mukuro when he first came and whispered something like _belonging_. He assumed it did that to everyone who entered its borders—made a place for them so they fit comfortably. Now, with these newcomers, it feels as though the town has been scrambled, moved slightly to the right, just a little bit out of tune, like pieces put into the wrong puzzle.

He doesn’t like it. It makes his skin itch. He wants it fixed.

“We’ll make them leave,” Sawada murmurs. The cracked, transparent Seal encircling and smothering his Flame breaks off another piece. “I don’t like feeling Namimori like this, and I refuse to become a mafia boss. I won’t let Vongola ruin this, or me.”

The world doesn’t need more mafia scum. Someone like Sawada controlling a Family like Vongola would be a disaster. Mukuro looks at him contemplatively. That absolute refusal, at the very least, is something he can agree with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chrome!! Finally, she's here!! She was introduced to everyone in the Sawada household before scene four but I felt like it would be a bit tedious doing introductions, so I skipped that. Also, Ken, Chikusa, Chrome, and Mukuro share a room while Lancia took a different one, so that's the current rooming arrangements.  
> I hope the Mukuro POV was satisfactory. I... really don't know how to write him ^^;
> 
> Thank you for reading everyone! Next chapter, things are probably going to pick up a little bit, because--well, I'm sure you have an idea.
> 
> Also, [I made a writing blog!](https://heavenly-dusk.tumblr.com/) I know tumblr is going to hell at the moment, but I probably won't be leaving all that quickly, so I'll still be there for a little while. If you'd like to listen to me talk about fic ideas or ask me stuff, please join me there! I'd love to talk to people (and not talk about my ideas in the notes of my fics)!


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